Gundam Magic
by Sapphire-BlueStar
Summary: Gundam Wing with a twist of magic:What happens if we give the boys magic instead of mecha? OZ plans on conquering the magical relams. How can the five boys stop them? If you like fantasy stories, why not give this a try?
1. Chapter1

Gundam Magic

A fond greeting to all! This is actually my second time writing a fanfic regarding one of my favourite anime shows…I am only testing out my writing skills and also as a way of passing my time. The fanfic I am writing will be a twist of our familiar characters and magic. There will also be a new character but other than that, the rest should be familiar to all of you fans. Without further ado, I present to you Gundam Magic.

Chapter One

Magic, a power that baffles most mankind. Magic, a power that few possess. Magic, a power that extents beyond the infinite universe. Magic, a profound knowledge. Magic…What is magic? Where exactly does it origin lies? One only wonders…

In Gundam Boys' School of Magic, it will be just another ordinary day for the students. Many trudged to school, feeling the Monday's blues heavy on their shoulders. Only a handful actually skipped to school joyfully. That morning was a welcoming one with the mellifluous hums of summer and a subtle aura of flowers unknown to the boys. Hey, they are boys. Other than roses and lilies and chrysanthemums, what other flowers can they know of?

" Hey! Hey buddy! Old chap! Friend! Brother! Wait up!" someone shouted.

Whoever that person was shouting at, we don't know because not one of the four hundred odd boys assembling on the school ground stop to greet him. The bell had just rang.

" Yoo ho! Hey!" Another futile attempt. 

Finally this student caught up with his friend and placed a strong grip on his shoulder. He panted and flipped back his long brown braid. " Heero Yuy. Why on earth didn't you wake me up? Hmm? You are just living on the apartment above me! You could have just taken five minutes off your breakfast time and knock hard on my door!"

" You should know better than to stay up late to watch Harry Potter: The Movie. Besides, aren't you on time now?" Heero replied curtly.

" Oh yeah, and I have to skip my breakfast for that," grumbled the other, Duo Maxwell. Duo was a handsome boy of fifteen with a pair of cobalt blue eyes and long flowing brown mane which he tied in a pigtail. He was terribly proud of his hair, something which Heero and the others could not fathom. Several times, they had tried to persuade him to chop off his waist-long hair but he had obstinately refused. 

Heero was an inscrutable and taciturn person, the exact opposite of his animated friend. While one was full of shenanigans, the other was deadly quiet. One wonders how they ended up as good buddies. Heero was one of the most outstanding students in the Gundam Boys' School of Magic. It was rumoured that his grandmother was a witch. Lies of course. He was an orphan, like Duo, and did not even have the faintest idea who his mother was, much less his family tree. Maybe that was the reason why these two became friends – both have suffered a lot.

They stayed a little distance away from the school in two different apartments. The landlady there had took pity on them and gave them a place to stay. Actually, she had wanted to put the two in the same apartment but Heero had silently protested and the landlady, after witnessing a brief scuffle between them, decided that those two can never be put together. They will only end up fighting for survival.  

The two boys hurried to their class, lining up behind the rest of their classmates. " Duo! Heero!" a voice called to them. Duo spun round. " Quatre oh boy! Wufie! Trowa buddy!" Duo greeted with enthusiasm. Heero merely gave a wave, a rather weak one. 

" Do not call me Wufie," Chang Wufei threatened. He detested the nickname Duo had given him. It made him sound like a dog, a spineless dog. 

"Attention please," the principal, Mr J, announced as he strolled up onto a small platform just in front of the school building. " I have just received news early this morning from the principal, Miss Une, from Gundam Girls' School of Magic, regarding the behaviour of some particular boys here in school."

Duo's friends immediately turned to him. " Was it you?" asked Quatre with concern.

" No doubt," Heero replied for him nonchalantly. 

" It's the norm," Trowa agreed.

" I agree," Wufei added, feeling somewhat happy. 

" But it isn't me!" Duo protested. " I swear by the devil himself, this time it isn't me!"

"Oh, then the other time when the laboratory mice were found in the girls' classroom…You swear that wasn't you?" Wufei eyed him carefully.

Duo grinned sheepishly. " Well, that I won't be able to swear."

The principal cleared his throat and continued, " Apparently, these jokers were trying to scare the girls under the pretense of phantoms."

Duo exclaimed, " God! Who are those geniuses?"

" Unfortunately for them, the girls managed to recognize who those apparitions are. So if those boys would own up to their faults after the assembly, it would spare me the trouble of having to go to their classes calling them up. Boys," Mr J sighed. " I repeat once more. Stop bothering the girls. Look, I have more white hair this year all because of you." The school snickered. " They are wonderful girls, hardworking and virtuous. I see no reason in you playing pranks on them and scaring the hell out of them." He shot Duo a warning look. " If I hear anymore of these kind of ludicrous pranks again, you will be suspended from school. Clear?"

"Clear!" the boys chorused, somewhat amused.

" Off to class!" 

Silently, the classes were led into the school building by their form teachers to start the day's lessons.

**********************************************************************

Over at the Gundam Girls' School of Magic, gossips were circulating like wildfire. " Who are those boys?"

" I swear it was that Duo again!"

"Who? Heero? Impossible!"

" What? The principal is in this business?!"

" I know! Let's go ask Relena! She was one of the victims!"

Relena Peacecraft was in class, sitting all by herself at a corner reading a book on spells and potions. Her eyebrows knitted as she struggled to remember all the names of the different potions and their uses. A group of girls barged in, breaking her concentration.

" Relena!" they cried. " Who are those culprits?"

" What culprits?" she asked in that gentle tone of hers, surprised.

" Those boys who were fooling around as phantoms," one explained eagerly. " Dorothy told us it was you who recognized those boys. So who are they?"

" I can't tell. Miss Une told me not to." Miss Une was the girls' principal, a very capable young woman in charge of all the girls. At first, everyone had wondered how a nineteen-year-old lady could manage a school all by herself. The former principal was a distant relative of Une's. Since her demise, Lady Une has taken over her place. In just two months, the girls were completely convinced of her calibre. The girls, though they like her, were wary of her spilt personality. She can be a vulnerable character in one minute and a merciless mentor in the next minute. And it has something to do with her hair. Or maybe it's the glasses?

" Just give us a clue will do. Is it those five? That funny fivesome group?"

" No comment but it's certainly not them."

" Please Relena!" they begged.

" Sorry."

The bell rang and the girls sighed, said goodbye to Relena and went back to their classes. Relena's classmates entered, some wearing Monday's blues. Hilde Schbeiker plopped down in front of Relena while Catherine Bloom sat down beside her. Hilde's eyes were shining. " Guess what?"

" What?" Catherine and Relena asked her.

" That Maxwell boy was almost late to school again," she giggled. " He would never figure it out that I was the one who tampered with his alarm clock. Let me tell you, he always forget to lock his front door. He thought that by locking his bedroom door he can prevent thieves from stealing his precious things. Well, he's wrong." She showed them her hairpin and giggled again.

" That poor boy!" Catherine said and laughed. " Whatever had he done to incur you wrath, great highness?"

" Ever since he tried to trip me over with a stick and – and –"

" Rejected your love?" Catherine put in helpfully, innocently.

Hilde blushed. " What do you mean by that! We are rivals! I, er, well, I tried to be friendly with him once. You know, stop all these stupid fighting between them and us. But he was so rude. So now, ha! This is his retribution!"

Relena could not help laughing while Catherine continued to tease poor Hilde. Miss Une walked in, surprising all of them. Her brown hair was down, a good sign.

" Good morning girls."

" Good morning Miss Une!"

" Sit down," the bespectacled woman told them. She brushed her long hair aside and picked up a book. " Your teacher Mrs Darlian will be gone for a long time due to poor health. No need to worry too much about her. She has the finest doctor by her side. I am here to relief her. Now, before I start, I would like to know where she has stopped her lessons and also get to know all your names. Lessons shall start officially from tomorrow onwards for you. Now, any questions for me?" 

Silence.

She smiled amiably. " Why so stiff, girls? I'm no tigress, right? I'm only here to teach you."

Dorothy Catalonia, who was sitting at the front, raised her hand and then stood up after Miss Une gave her a nod. " We are happy to have you here, Miss Une. In fact, we love and respect you. We're just surprised that you would be teaching us. This is the first time the principal's teaching us." 

The class murmured in agreement.

" I assure you, you'll soon get used to me. I was actually training as a teacher before I was called here. I'm sure I will enjoy coaching you and the rest of the year will also be a time of great fun and learning for all of you," she told them.

Indeed, this will be a year of "great fun and learning" for all of them, boys and girls alike. Just outside of Magic Town, stood two men on a hilltop. Standing with their feet astride, they mused over the town.

" This looks like a harmless town," one remarked to the other.

" Do not judge a book by its cover."

" Don't you find this ridiculous? All because of a dream we are sent here on this mission to eliminate a couple of boys and girls whom I doubt are much of a harm."

" Yes, it seems stupid but we must not doubt our master. We only carry out orders," his partner said.

" I know."

" To conquer the world, one must be cautious and must never overlook even the smallest thing. You never know when this small, innocuous object may someday grow into a powerful, noxious monster. You never know, my friend. You never know."

Yes, you never know when fate starts to be fickle and begins changing your life.


	2. Chapter 2

                            Chapter Two

After school. Joys and laughter.  Simply heavenly. Don't you just love after school hours? " Stupid. I still got homework to do," grumbled Duo.

" We all have homework to do," Quatre reminded him. All five of them are in the same class. No wonder Heero looked so moody.

" But I'm not interested in healing magic," said Duo. " What I want to learn is black magic."

Quatre Raberba Winner shook his head. Quatre was a sensitive and gentle person. He loved animals and he cared very much for his friends. Wufei was muttering something about sending Duo to the North Pole with black magic. Do not get the wrong idea about our Wufei. He is not a grumpy boy, just impatient and moody at times. Let me remind all again, it is the Monday blues. Trowa Barton tried not to laugh. Of the five, he was the tallest and has a very supple body. He once worked in a circus as an entertainer before arriving at the Magic School. He does not laugh often and is as aloof as Heero.

As they turned at a corner, a stranger sitting on a wall caught their eyes. He was a charming man with long flowing hair. Unlike Duo, his hair was loose. There was an air of mystique around him. He picked himself up in slow motion as the boys approached. The five stopped as he floated down in front of them. He did not land down but hovered just a little above the ground level. It was most alarming.

" I have been waiting for you," he greeted them.

" I'm sorry but we do not know you," Duo answered politely, sure that it was a case of mistaken identities. Heero was more wary. So was Trowa. The others were casual.

" But I know you. Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner and Chang Wufei. Am I right?"

" How do you know our names?" exclaimed Duo. Now all five were worried.

" I just ask around for names that fit your description. You are quite conspicuous because no one can figure out why five different people with five different personalities can be best friends," the other informed them.

Duo shrugged. " Unlike poles attract," he replied brusquely. They grinned.

" Sir, can we be of any assistance?" Quatre asked.

" Yes. I just need to give you a small magic test."

Without another word, he raised both hands as if he were going to pray to heaven. " Dark Shadows!"

A powerful ray of black magic came rolling in their direction. The five barely have time to dodge. " Hey we don't know you!" Duo repeated once more. " Why are you attacking us?"

" Dark Shadows!" This was his answer.

" Forces of Yin!" Wufei retaliated.

" Elements of Nature – Fire!" Heero joined in.

Both magical forces were an equal. They realized their opponent was strong. " Stop!" Quatre demanded. " I repeat, we don't  know you and I'm sure none of us here have offended you."

He smiled. " You have not offended me but you have offended our leader. You will have to die." He pointed at the ground they were standing on. It began to shake violently. They tottered and fell as the vibration increased.

" Thunder-Ball Vibration!" He threw an electrifying blue ball of magic at them. 

" Shield!" Heero called up his protective magic and a round defensive force surrounded the five. The Thunder-Ball rebounded on the shield back to the stranger. He effortlessly guided the ball out of his way onto a tree with a wave of his hand. The five were amazed. 

" Who are you?" demanded Heero.

" My name is Zechs Merquise. And they don't call me the Lightning Count for nothing," he said calmly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he flew at top speed towards them with his arms outstretched. He touched the shield Heero had built. The other four were on standby to help Heero. But what they saw shocked them all. The shield grew thinner the moment this Merquise man touched it and vanished. Next, he promptly punched and kicked them all when at a terrifying speed. Not one of them could even touch him. It was as if he was a ghost.

Heero picked himself up from the ground, wiping away the blood that was trickling down his chin. Quatre suffered a bruise on his smooth cheek. Duo was sure his bones were broken. Trowa's jaw felt funny while Wufei's stomach hurt terribly. Zechs Merquise smiled maliciously. " Still can stand? Is it not enough for all of you?"

" We have no feud against you," Heero told him quietly.

" Neither have I but I cannot defy my master's will."

" Who is your master?"

" You need not know. I'm only here to inform you of your deaths."

" That's enough!" Duo interrupted. " Don't think we are pushovers!"

" Oh?" A flicker of interest. " Shall we see?"

Duo frowned. " Get ready to hold Heero, Quatre," he whispered.

" Pardon?" Quatre asked, confused.

" When I give the signal, just grab him and run. That blockhead might want to stay and fight."

Quatre nodded.

Duo took a deep breath as he began to absorb the energies around him, transforming them into a thick white smoke in his hands. " Smokescreen!" he yelled as he directed the smoke to Zechs, enveloping him. 

" Is that all you can do?" Zechs asked.

" Ha! We can do more. Run!" Duo turned and pushed Trowa and Wufei to start running. Quatre griped Heero's hand and all five fled. The smoke cleared and they were nowhere to be seen. Zechs had already seen through Duo's trick and deliberately let them off. After all he was being unfair, catching them unaware. That was not the doing of a honourable warrior or for this matter, an esteemed magician. He would give them some time, a few days or so to prepare themselves.

 ****************************************************************************

" Who are you?" Relena asked, a little frightened. Zechs' partner was hovering above the girls. The girls, Relena Peacecraft, Hilde Schbeiker and Catherine Bloom were walking home when he confronted them.

" Let me introduce myself." He believed in being gentle with the girls for he was a gentleman. " My name is Treize Khushrenada. By order, I am here to send you on your way to hell. But before I do that ladies, I want to see what is it that fears my master so in the dream."

" What nonsense is this?" Hilde asked heatedly. " Is this a prank?"

" Does this looks like a prank?" he asked them back as he aimed a spell at them. The three girls ducked down, fearful of their lives. " I do not wish to hurt you just yet."

" We'll scream for help," threatened Catherine.

" You won't dare," Treize Khushrenada said.

" Try us," Hilde said.

" Then I'll just put a sleeping spell all over Magic Town and everyone will just go on sleeping forever, wasting their lives away until they turn to bones."

" You can't do that!" Relena gasped. This kind of sleeping spell, called the Interminable Doze, is the most powerful sleeping spell that a magician can cast to a person. This person, though still alive, will sleep forever and forever, never to wake up again. As he sleeps, his flesh starts to rot, just like a dead person. He will suffer; because the worst part of the entire spell is that the person can still feel and think even though he can no longer moves. He will only die after his brain and heart and all his internal organs are gone. This kind of torture is long and painful, more terrifying than hell. 

" Try me."

" We really don't know you or your master. You could be mistaken," Relena told him. Her friends nodded in agreement. " I am certain we have offended no one. However, if we had offended your master unknowingly, we sincerely apologize to him. Please, let us go."

He laughed. " You speak well. You must be an excellent student. A pity though because an order is an order."

" You maniac! Vile rat! Relena has told you already that this must be a mistake!" Hilde shouted. " We are sorry if we have offended whoever that big bully is so just let us go!" Catherine placed a hold on Hilde's shoulder, trying to calm her down. To her surprise, Hilde winked at her. " Shout sorry, attract attention," she ordered her friends in a low volume.

As if someone had turned on the lights in a dark room, they nodded at her brilliant idea. Instead of shouting for help and endangering the whole town, they will approach a different method to attract attention. " We are sorry!" Relena and Catherine yelled in unison. They were no longer scared.

" Let us go, we beg you!" Relena shouted at him, as if about to cry.

" I do not like girls crying," Treize warned them. The problem with him is that he gets nervous when girls cry, although his face remains placid.

" We are sorry!" all three spoke out once more.

Do we call Hilde a genius or the whole situation a coincidence? The boys, now panting from their escape were resting nearby, feeling secured by the distance. Heero still had his fighting spirit intact.

" That was close," Trowa commented.

" That guy was a weirdo," Duo panted. " What was his name? Zechs Merquise? Did anyone check the wanted list? Hey Heero, loosen up. He can't catch up with us. He's new here and doesn't know the town layout as well as we do."

" I have a bad feeling," Heero replied simply.

" We are sorry!" faint voices cried out. The five boys tensed.

" Relena Peacecraft," Heero said suddenly, recognizing her voice. " And – " He struggled to make out the other two voices.

" Hilde Schbeiker!" Duo said.

" Sister," Trowa realised. Without another word, all five boys began rushing towards the source of the cries.

" It's no use," Treize said once more. " I'm only acting under an order." He raised an arm at them. The three girls cuddled close together. When he had released a spell at them just now, they knew instantly that they were no match for him. None of them in the group could wield such a powerful force yet.

But before he could do anything, a new voice shouted from his back. " Stop!" It was Heero and his friends.

" It's them." Hilde whispered, widening her eyes.

" Ah, so Zechs finished with his experiment?" Treize asked.

" Weirdos," Duo said through clenched teeth. Treize merely grinned as all five boys stood in battle formation. " Looks like I'm outnumbered," he said mockingly. " A gentleman does not take advantage of someone weaker than him. We'll give you a little time to improve yourselves. Frankly, it is the first time that my mission requires me to deal with kids. I'm looking forward to it."

" We are not weaklings," Wufei remarked, trying to contain his rage.

Treize ignored him and with a snap of his finger, disappeared right before their bewildered eyes. What is this all about? They could not make sense of it. Even Duo, with all his guts, would be sensible enough to consider making an enemy of them. They were not to be trifle with.

" You okay?" Trowa ran forward to help them up, or rather, help his sister up. Catherine is Trowa's sister. No, they are not blood siblings but have grown so close to each other that they now treated each other as brother and sister. Catherine used to be a performer at a circus too. In fact, both of them came from the same circus. How did they end up in the Magic School? It's a long story actually, not only for them, but also for the rest of the group.

Relena thanked them. " Thanks for coming to our aid."

" You guys know him?" Hilde asked.

Quatre shook his head, an answer on behalf of his pals. " We have never even met him before. Actually, there are two of them. One is called Zechs Merquise, the Lightning Count, and the other is his partner, the one you encountered."

" Treize Khushrenada," Catherine said.

" What do they want with us?" Relena pondered.

" Apparently, they are under orders to eliminate us," explained Quatre. " They might be from some kind of cult…"

" Maybe but that Treize man mentioned about a dream that their leader has dreamt of. He said we are a threat to them," Relena said. " But it seems ludicrous."

" It could be a prophetic dream. There have been cases like this."

Duo shook his head. " I still find it hard to believe. I mean, we don't even know them. What can we possibly do to them?"

All were silent. " Are you sure none of us here have offended anyone lately?" Heero broke the silent. Everyone shook their heads firmly. 

Relena bit her lower lip, a sign that she was in deep concentration. Her violet eyes were serious. " Could they be mistaken?"

" We have already consider that," Heero said. " But he even found out our names by asking people so I don't think it is a mistake."

Trowa said, " I suggest we just wait for the time being. And be very careful. They know who we are but not vice versa. Unless we are absolutely sure, there's nothing we can do except wait. For all you know, it might be a prank."

They nodded but deep in their hearts, they knew it was not a prank. No matter how hard they tried to reassure themselves, they can feel that their lives will be changing. 


	3. Chapter 3

            Chapter Three

On Tuesday, all eight were edgy and restless. They could not concentrate during lessons. They could feel the strangers' eyes watching them, following their every movement. They kept looking over their shoulders and jumped whenever anyone touched them. Some were physically calmer, like Heero. But his mind was not.

Miss Une was in her office tidying some papers on her desk. It was break time and the field was noisy with shrieks and laughter. A magic spell or two flew by occasionally. Other than that, all was normal. Out of the corner of her eyes, Une caught an unfamiliar person opposite the school gate. His face was hidden by the shadows of the huge oak tree. From his built, it was easy to tell that he was an imposing man. Une do not like it at all. She feared for the safety of the girls. She crunched up some papers and threw it into the waste-paper basket, intending to question the man after finishing tidying up. When she looked up again, he was gone. She trotted out of her office to the school gate, scanning the area carefully. He was nowhere to be seen. Was she being overly suspicious? Perhaps the man was only stopping for a rest. Taking a deep breath, she chided herself quietly and went back in.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of a school day. Miss Une sighed and stretched herself. She brushed her dark hair back. Suddenly finding it annoying, she reached for the ribbons lying askew on her table and tied her thick hair into two neat buns. From the reflection of her mirror, she can actually see the school gate. Une had deliberately placed her mirror in such a way so that she can keep a lookout for any suspicious characters that might bring harm on the girls. The tall, imposing man was there again. This time, there was no mistake. She headed out of the school immediately with a stern expression. She was not taking any chances.

" Bye Miss Une!" some students called out to her. She put on a quick smile and waved to them. Une cautiously approached the man. He noticed her but made no movement. The man was Treize.

" Excuse me, what are you doing here?" she asked, not attempting to show any politeness. Neither does she like to beat around the bush.

Treize regarded her for a second before stepping out of the shadows. Une widened her eyes. _I know him, the thought flashed across her mind. However, she was sure she had not met him before. She struggled to remember. " You have a very nice school," he answered, smiling._

Une cleared her throat. " From morning till now you mean to tell me you were only admiring our school? And for what?"

He snorted. " I do not have such time in my hands right now. I have no reason to harm any of your normal girls if that's what you are worried about, Madam. I just paid a visit to my friend and happened to pass by here and stop to take a look. You do have a wonderful school with wonderful pupils."

His story sounds convincing enough to Une. Une was sure she had not met him before but she could not shake the thought off her mind that she _had._ Maybe a long time ago. He turned and walked away. Une watched his back, studied it. Her brows furrowed. She touched and adjusted her glasses. No, this does not seem right. She took off her glasses and stared at his back. And she remembered. 

" Treize?" she said softly, but still audible to his sharp ears. Treize stopped. " Treize?" Une asked, a little louder this time. She ran forward as he turned to face her. Treize was no doubt shocked. Who is this woman?

" Treize Khushrenada?" Une persisted despite his silence. " Do you remember me? I'm Une, Lady Une. Or Little Lady Une as you used to call me?"

Upon hearing the name, Treize remembered. The memory shot through him like a thunderbolt, as clear as it can be. He studied her face, looking into her eyes and ran his gaze from her head to toe. He could hardly believe it. She has grown. Those pair of eyes, the glow in her face, flushed cheeks, shy smile belonged to Little Lady Une. The tone she spoke to him a while ago, firm and strong. Her directness, the confident composure, the no-nonsense look also belonged to Little Lady Une.

Une, seeing his astonishment began to smile, laughing a little. Tears came into her eyes. She swiftly untied her two buns and showed him the two ribbons. Her silky brown hair fell and the wind caught it. " The ribbons, you gave them to me. Look, I still have it." 

_Those pink ribbons. Yes, this is Une._

" Une. I don't believe this."

" Neither do I."

*******************************************************

" Une! Little Lady Une!" cried a small Treize as he ran up to her, panting. Une turned and laughed. They were both children then, delicate and innocent.

" I thought you would rather stay at home?" she teased.

Treize huffed, his chubby face red. " And miss this glorious day? You know I don't mean what I say." He looked up into the azure sky. The fresh green grass swayed gently in the breeze. To them, this evergreen field of grass was like a soft green ocean, stretching miles and miles away, never-ending. They both sat on the ground, bathing in the golden sunlight. 

" I'm going to be a soldier when I grow up," Treize informed Une.

She yawned. " You told me that thousands of times already."

" Do you want to join me?" he asked her suddenly. " I can make you my right-hand man."

" I'm no man."

" Right-hand woman then."

Une pondered over this. Treize said, " Your mother was a Lady. You'll be a Lady too when you grow up. If you join me, you'd have higher status. Also, you don't have a clue what you are going to do when you grow up and so as your best friend, I offer you this career option."

" But do I look like a soldier to you?" she asked him softly. The idea was tempting.

" A soldier has to be tough, merciless, cold and fierce. He must give the enemy no chance. He must be witty, clever, strong and powerful. So you can start practising from now," Treize said, overwhelmed with enthusiasm.

Little Lady Une laughed. " What about you? You don't have any of those too."

" Then we'll practise together. From now on, you listen to me! Ok, soldier?"

" Ok!" 

Treize paused, frowning. " Hey, I don't think any soldiers has long hair. Either you cut it off or you tie it up."

Une stared at him, horrified. " I'm not going to cut it off! No way! I like my hair!"

He shrugged. " Ok, then we'll tie it up into one big bun." He delved into his pockets and pulled out two pink ribbons, scattering sweet wrappers and coins onto the ground. " I wanted to give you the ribbons yesterday but I forgot. Here." He handed it to her

Une was delighted. " Thanks! It's lovely." But her smile faded. " I don't know how to tie my hair into a bun."

Treize took the ribbons from her. " Luckily I know."

" You know?!"

" Yeah, I saw my aunt doing that a couple of days ago." He worked on her hair quickly but Une's hair was layered and so it was hard to keep all of it in place. The shorter strands kept falling down. Frustrated, Treize told her, " I think we'll make it two buns."

Little Une winced as he tugged fiercely at her hair. Soon, two neat buns formed. Treize inspected his handiwork with satisfaction. " Let's start!" he announced as he grabbed his fallen coins and ran on ahead.

" Where are you going? Treize!" she shouted after him.

" Follow me!" 

**********************************************************

" How have you been?" Une asked.

" So-so."

" So what are you doing now? Are you a soldier?"

Treize shook his head, seeming regretful. " No, I-I was childish then."

" That makes two of us," Une assured him. " Have you had your lunch? My treat."

He shook his head once more and smiled. " Thanks but I'm not hungry. Glad to know you are doing so well. Are you a teacher here?"

" The principal," she smiled.

Treize raised his brows. " Ah, good. But learn to take things easy, don't give yourself too much pressure. Take things easy." Une looked puzzled and he continued quickly. " I have to go now."

" Is there any way I can contact you?" 

" Not at the moment. I'm busy. Bye."

" Bye," Une said. Treize was different. She could sense that. He watched him till he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

Outside of Magic Town, Zechs Merquise stood on the hill looking at the town. Slow footsteps approached him and stopped as he turned to face the intruder. It was a woman with short dark purplish-blue hair and intense eyes. Her side-parting long fringe covered almost half of her face, enhancing her strong features and svelte figure. She was dressed in a navy blue long-sleeved shirt with black pants. Her silvery shirt buttons gleamed in the sunlight. She bowed slightly to Zechs, eyes lowered to the ground.

" Mr Merquise, I am sent to assist you and Mr Khushrenada," she said. Her voice was steady with a tinge of firmness. She straightened her body up.

His blue eyes looked at her.  "Why?" he asked.

" In case you need help with the girls," she replied simply. " After all, I'm a woman."

Zechs nodded and he took in a deep breath. " Honestly, I'm afraid they will cry." Zechs has had little experience with girls. She bit back a grin. " Thanks, Lucrezia."

"Call me Noin, please."

" And you address me as Zechs. Mr Merquise sounds much too formal. And I'm sure Treize would want you to call him by his name too."

Lucrezia Noin nodded. " Actually, I'm also sent to work under you, Mr – I mean, Zechs."

Zechs sneered. " It seems like I'm under suspicion."

" No, it's just that Master thinks you need one to help you. There is no such intention, please do not be mistaken."

Zechs turned to look at the scenery. " Is it?" Both fell into silence mode.

After school on Tuesday, some students stayed back at school to practise magic skills and for extra lessons. Heero found Wufei practising a new magic skill at the back of the school, near the school's gym. Trees filtered sunlight in from behind the fence.

" I rise upon power and lay upon death – Fury Strike!" The spell hit a tree, snapping it into half. Wufei pointed at the tree. He looked serious throughout the whole process. " Elements of Nature – Wood!" A low rumbling sound. Then, the broken tree shook and it rejoined itself back into its previous pristine condition. Heero sat on a boulder.

" You are worried," Heero said. It was more like a statement, not a question.

With his back still towards him, Wufei said, "So are you."

" I couldn't find anything about them," Heero said.

" That is what makes it so strange." Wufei turned and sat down beside him. " I have a very bad feeling. It is exactly the same feeling I have when my hometown was destroyed."

" Is that why you arrived in this magic realm?"

" Partly. I don't want to talk about it. What about you?"

" Me?"

" How you arrive here."

" It's a long story. I don't wish to talk about it too."

" Looks like we both have something in common – we have had some sufferings."

" I think this applies to all five of us."

At this point of time, Quatre ran up. His expression looked strange. " Heero, Wufei, come quick. Trowa found something in a magazine. Duo's there already."

Trowa and Duo were waiting for them in the library. The old library was repleted with old archaic books, giving it a musty smell. The two boys were sitting at one of the mahogany tables, staring into a magazine. They have the whole library to themselves.

" What is it?" Wufei asked.

They two looked up. Something was wrong. Even Duo was looking very dire. Trowa spoke, " I found this article when flipping through this magazine. It was published more than two years ago. One survivor claimed that a mysterious group called OZ was after his life. This group consists of a huge army led by two young men. One of the men had long flowing platinum-white hair. Both were able to wield powerful spells. This man died later from his injuries."

" Wait a minute, what do you mean by one survivor?" Heero interrupted.

" He was the only survivor of his entire 36 family members. OZ massacred his whole family when they refuse to produce their family heirloom – a book that contains one of the world's most dangerous magic. Their ancestor had made them promise never to touch the book for the spells written in there were simply much too destructive." Trowa paused to take a breath. " Even after the family relented and handed them the spell book, the whole family, including the women and children, was still not let off. They were all killed. Police tried to track down the group but to no avail. It was as if they had disappeared into thin air. It was also stated here that thirty years ago there was a similar case, but the object they were after were elixirs. The army was led by a woman. They also called themselves OZ."

There was a stunned silence as they tried to absorb this new information. Now they have a clearer idea who they were dealing with. " So their chief wants to get rid of us because he dreamt that we will someday defeat him," Trowa concluded.

" Who is their chief?" Quatre asked.

Duo and Trowa both shook their heads. "No one knows," Duo said sadly. " I'm still puzzled about how we can defeat this OZ. I mean, we are only teenagers. And there are only five of us here. Plus the girls, it's only eight. Tell me, how on earth do we subdue a whole army who is as evil as the Devil himself?"

None have an answer. " We need to inform the girls," Quatre told his friends. They stared at him.

" You go tell them," Wufei answered. The rest murmured in agreement. Since the long history of the two schools, both sides have being arch enemies. Though there had been cases of students from the two schools eventually ending up as couples, all of them decided to keep the tradition alive. In honour of thy school, they claimed. To Wufei who felt repugnant towards women, they being the weaker vessels, this arrangement cannot be better for him. The lesser the contact, the better.

Quatre sighed. He personally felt that the tradition was stupid. He has sisters, and usually they are easy to get along with. His friends were still waiting for his nod. Heero was wearing his you-better-do-it-or-else look. Duo was grinning. Trowa, even the deadpan Trowa, was sharing Heero's expression. Wufei, needless to say.

Quatre sighed again. " Can I say no?"

" No," all four said in unison. 

It is a dirty job. And very embarrassing if any of his schoolmates caught him. It would be the gossip of the lifetime. But if you don't go to hell, who would? " All right, I'll tell them tomorrow if I have the chance."

Tomorrow, what will happen tomorrow?


	4. Chapter 4

                     Chapter Four

Wednesday after school. Quatre was staking out near the Gundam Girls' School of Magic, praying fervently that nothing will go wrong. School was out for the girls and some passed him furtive glances. He pretended not to notice. His friends, best friends, had solemnly wished him the best of luck and Duo had patted his back, claiming, " We will be with you morally."

Dorothy Catanolia had spotted Quatre Raberba Winner. Personally, she found him an interesting fellow with good looks. " Quatre Raberba Winner," she greeted him with an air of swank and walked towards him. " What a surprise to see you here."

" Hi," he said, silently beseeching her to go away.

" Looking for someone?" she gazed into his eyes with mock seductiveness. " Me?"

Quatre swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice steady. Suddenly, he felt nervous. No, he does not fancy Dorothy but her cat-like pair of eyes was too much to bear. It was as if she could penetrate into his soul. " No, not you," he managed to answer.

" Then who?"

Relena and her friends appeared right at this moment. Throwing all his worries to the wind, he shouted for her. He decided that this current problem was more important than anything else at the moment. Let them gossip, he will deal with it after they had settled this. " Relena! Hey!"

The three girls spun round. " I need to talk to you, all three of you," he said. " Why?" Relena asked him.

He lowered his voice, " It's about then two men."

" Let's go to a café," Catherine suggested. " It's safer there."

Dorothy called out, " Hey Mr Winner! Stepping your feet into three boats?" Some of the girls sneered.

" Ignore her, she's like this," Hilde assured him. But Quatre knew no way could they ignore the rumour that will be circulating tomorrow at top speed. His reputation was ruined.

" OZ?"

" You are not lying are you?"

" April Fool's over, you know."

Quatre repeated himself. " Everything I have just told you is true. This OZ is after us. Trowa found out about this in the magazine. I can show it to you."

Quatre does not lie, they all knew. In fact, he has a reputation for being the most honest and honourable boy over at the boys' school. He was a gentleman. He does not go against the girls. The three girls were quiet.

" What do we do now?" Relena asked him.

" I don't know. We don't know what to do next except to watch out for each other."

Relena frowned. " We need to tell an adult."

" But what can they do?" Quatre argued. " If this is not handled well, we will also get them killed."

" Maybe they can help us," Relena debated. " You can't be so quick as to put them down. Miss Une is resourceful."

Quatre shook his head. " OZ is a secret and mysterious organization. Even the police have little information on them. Besides, they are merciless. We don't know what they will do. Look, we might even endanger the whole town. If you tell Miss Une, she is most likely to go to the police and the whole town will go into panic mode. OZ has twice massacred a whole family of innocent people. They might do the same to the town. If us dying means we can save a whole town of people, I will do it."

Catherine gasped while Hilde sat dumbfounded along with Relena. Quatre was right. OZ did not spare the family even after they had handed them the magic book. What if we alerted the whole town and OZ decided to kill all of us for fear that someday there will be endless of trouble? One thing leads to another.

" You're right," Relena murmured. 

" If we can't win them by magic, we might win them by wits," Hilde said.

Catherine nodded. Quatre smiled briefly. " I know you are all scared and worried. So are we. I suggest we both help to look after each other. If you have thought of anything or if we have any idea on how to deal with them, we will share it. Right now, we are in the same boat."

Relena squeezed her friends' hands. " Ok."

**********************************************************

The four parted after leaving the cafe. Relena walked home alone, feeling nervous. She held her books close to her chest, her hands cold with sweat. Feeling someone's presence, she looked up. Indeed, someone was waiting for her, Lucrezia Noin.

Noin studied her. " Relena Peacecraft?"

Relena clutched her books tighter. " Who are you?"

" Zechs sent me – to destroy you."

Relena stood rooted to the ground. " Fire-Twirl!" Noin shouted, releasing a spell towards Relena. Relena watched the twirling of fire heading straight at her. She dropped her books. " Shield!" cried the gentle girl.

The Fire-Twirl was not able to penetrate into the ball of shield. Noin clasped her hands tightly and held it up at the sun, absorbing its rays. " The light of all life, power of earth – Sunbeam!" A force of magic shot from her clasped hands. Relena thought quickly.

" Elements of Nature – Water!"

The two forces hit and the impact was so strong that Relena moved a few paces back. Noin was bent on carrying out her job. Finally, the two energies subsided.

" Quick-thinking," Noin commented. She took a good look at Relena. And was taken back. " That look, that determination…it's so familiar," she whispered to herself.

" Evil can never triumph," Relena declared. 

" Evil? What is evil? I am only serving my master."

Relena softened. According to her intuition, this woman does not seem all that diabolical. Her eyes are not evil, there's something else…She could not tell.

" Cut the crap," she said. " I only want to finish my job." Noin pulled back an arm and a ball of magic formed. She threw the fiery ball onto the ground in front of Relena, throwing her backwards. Smoke engulfed Relena and she coughed. She was not injured, only shocked. Noin advanced.

" Stop!" A voice yelled out.

The smoke cleared and who shall stand before Relena, protecting her, was none other than Miss Une. " Miss Une," Relena acknowledged her weakly.

" Step back Relena," she ordered. Both women stared with belligerence. Une had her hair up into two buns and she was wearing her glasses.

" What do you think you are doing to my student?" 

" I want to kill her."

" Kill her? What wrong has she done?"

" Not at the moment but in the future she will. I'm just acting in preempt."

" What makes you think you can kill her?"

Noin sneered. "And what makes you think you can protect her?"

Another staring match. Relena observed carefully. Une said, " Let's not use magic. See if you can beat me one-to-one."

" Plain old martial arts."

" Plain old martial arts."

Both charged at each other and began exchanging blows and kicks. This does not seem like what a principal would normally do but Une did not care. She had not intended to be a principal in the first place. She was going by instinct. The police cannot do much in this one. Their magic is only superficial.

" Run Relena!" 

 Relena shook her head. " I can't leave you alone!"

" This is an order!" shouted Une back.

Both women were an equal in plain old fighting abilities. " You can't escape," Noin told her.

Une retorted back, " But I can protect her!" She ducked a punch. " Go! Go now!"

" I…" Relena was in a dilemma. 

Une landed a flying kick on Noin. " Just go! Or you can forget about coming to school tomorrow for disobeying me!"

Relena badly wanted to stay and help but seeing she can offer none, took Miss Une's advice and ran off. The two women continued for a while until another voice interposed into their shouts.

 " Stop fighting at once!" 

It was Treize. Both retreated back hastily and Noin greeted him. " Treize, sir. I'm sorry I let that Relena girl get away. I deserve to be punished."

" It's not your fault, Noin," he told her soothingly. " Hi Une."

" Treize…" Une was shocked beyond words. What on earth is going on here? 

" Let me introduce. Une, this is Lucrezia Noin. Noin, this is Lady Une."

" Treize, what is going on here?"

Treize smiled, somewhat sad. " Ask them, Relena and her friends. They will tell you much. Perhaps they have already found out some history about us and the organization. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Une. Please accept my apologies."

Une stepped up to her childhood friend. " I want you to tell me," she demanded. Her face was straight, serious. Treize continued smiling. " Just like a soldier."

Her anger left, leaving her feeling subdued. Treize turned and left with Noin saying, " Go ask them. Forgive me."

**********************************************************

Relena ran and ran all the way to Hilde and Catherine's house. " Relena!" Hilde exclaimed, surprised. " What are you doing here?" 

Relena panted. " W-we got to tell the others."

Heero was on his way home after buying some groceries. As he climbed up the stairs to his apartment, a distinctive sound of glass breaking caught his ears. It was coming from his home. Heero tensed and searched for his gun. Even though he doubted he need one now, he still carried it with him out of habit. The door was ajar. He flung it aside and pointed his gun at the intruder.

What he saw surprised him. The intruder was, no, the intruders were none other than his friends – Quatre, Trowa and Wufei. " Hi Heero," they greeted him grimly.

Quatre looked sheepish. " Sorry I broke your glass. It slipped." Wufei was sitting cross-legged on the dark blue sofa and Trowa was leaning against the smooth cream-coloured wall. " What are you doing here? How did you get in?" Heero asked.

Quatre stepped forward to explain. " Zechs and Treize found our homes and we all had a brief fight with them. It seems that this is more like a game to them. We can't go back now that they have found us and so we came here."

" I confess I picked your lock," said Wufei.

" It's a simple strategy – put your enemies all in one place and kill them all at one go," Trowa said, almost casually.

Before Heero could say a word, the door burst open once more and who should step in with his luggage is none other than our Duo. Heero once more aimed his gun.

" Hey there buddy! It's me! Easy with the gun. Where did you get that anyway?" Heero lowered his arm while Quatre helped him to put down his groceries. " Did Zechs and Treize kick you out of your house too?" Heero questioned.

Duo shook his head and threw his bags aside. " Nay, I just thought since all of you are here, it is only wise that I move in too. You know, help look after one another. I can help wash the dishes, just don't tell me to cook. Oh, here are some of your stuff. The two are gone." The three "refugees" moved to the bags, murmuring thanks.

Heero eyed him with displeasure. " You have bring the meaning of 'self-service' to a new level."

Duo shrugged and patted his shoulder playfully. " And you have shown us what grumpy and dullness really mean."

Quatre stifled a laugh. " Need help with the groceries, Heero?" Quatre offered good-naturedly.

" We have to be more careful now," Heero said to his friends, passing Quatre his groceries.

Sharp knocks rapped on the door. All five froze. Could it be?… They moved forward to the door quietly. Heero looked through the peephole. " It's Relena and her friends," he informed them.

" Don't tell me Zechs found them too?" Quatre said.

Heero opened the door and the girls ushered themselves in. All three were plastered with anxiety, sweat glistening on their foreheads. " What's the matter?" Duo asked.

" Tell them Relena," Hilde answered. 

Relena nodded. " It's like this…"

All five boys listened attentively to her story. When she finished, Catherine asked, " What are you doing here, Trowa?"

Trowa told the girls what happened. 

" What do we do now?" Relena asked them. None could answer her. 

Duo sighed. " Why must it happen to us? Are we fated to die young? Based on our abilities, there is no way we can defeat them. Unless…"

Heero looked at all his mates carefully and his eyes fell on Relena. "Gundam School of Magic," he said suddenly. " Gundam."

Relena brightened up. " Right, Gundam. I'm sure we all are aware of the legendary Gundam Magic. It is said to be one of the strongest magic ever created."

The rest nodded. If they could find out more about it and learn it, they will have a chance. 


	5. Chapter 5

        ***Chapter Five***      

Early on Thursday morning, the three girls were called in to see Miss Une. They were shocked to see a bruise on her left cheek. She brushed their concerns aside and faced them with an austere composure. The girls were afraid to look into her eyes. 

" Relena, tell me what happened."

With some help from Catherine and Hilde, Relena related the whole story up to the present point. There was no use hiding the truth from her. She had already seen it. Une could hardly believe her ears. To think Treize would be under OZ. It seemed ridiculous. As she sat there looking stunned, the girls were feeling uncomfortable. Although the boys had reluctantly agreed to let them tell Miss Une, they were still apprehensive. What if Miss Une decides to call the police? What if OZ finds out and kills her? It was a terrible thought.

" Miss Une?" Relena broke into her thoughts.

She blinked and looked up at them. Adjusting her glasses, she replied, " Actually, my childhood friend is in OZ. I didn't realize this until you told me now."

" What?" the three said, their breath taken away from them.

" I was fighting with that Lucrezia Noin yesterday – " she began.

" Lucrezia Noin?" Relena cut in. " The woman who tried to kill me?"

Une nodded. "Yes. Lucrezia Noin. I met him again after you were gone. Halfway through, he arrived and ordered us to stop. His name is Treize Khushrenada, my childhood playmate. I was shocked to see him there. He told me to ask you for the whole story, saying you might have even found out something about OZ. To think he is now the bad guy…" Her voice trailed off.

Catherine asked tentatively, " Are you okay, Miss Une?"

Une managed to smile a little. " Life is unpredictable huh? More than ten years ago, he was telling me with such gusto about him being a soldier and killing all the bad guys. But now…he has changed." She had a dreamy look in her moist dark eyes. The girls glanced at one another. " Can we be excused?" Hilde asked.

Une came back into focus again. " Wait. This is a dire matter we have in our hands now. Other than you, the boys and me, I pray you not to tell another soul."

" Do you have an idea Miss Une?" Relena asked eagerly.

She shook her head and then stopped. " Maybe. I have to find Treize again and talk to him. Maybe I will be able to persuade him but I cannot guarantee. He is an adamant fellow. Go back to your class now."

The three left her office. Une thought about the problem. How on earth is she going to contact Treize? Whatever it is, she cannot let him hurt her students or any innocent person. If she can persuade him to join her group, maybe they can turn the tables around on OZ. A knock sounded on the door and Relena's head popped in again. " I'm sorry Miss Une," she apologized. " But we forgot to ask you something very important…Do you know anything about Gundam Magic?"

" Gundam Magic?" she repeated the question.

At the Gundam Boys' School of Magic, Quatre was receiving more than his fair share of teasing on him dating three girls at one go.

" Way to go, Quatre," one remarked to him with a grin. 

" You little devil Winner!" one shouted from across the class.

" Why didn't you tell us?"

" Tell me, is this a joke you're playing on them, Casanova?"

" Who would have dreamt of it? Our Quatre!"

And more. Quatre had never felt so embarrassed in his life before. Even Trowa was laughing. Duo was worst. Wufei could not hide his grin. Heero…Quatre was sure he was secretly laughing at him. How is he going to survive? Despite his explanations, his schoolmates still insist he was dating them, three at one go. His face grew redder by the second.

" Playboy Quatre," Duo stated. The other three nodded solemnly. 

Quatre turned a bright red. " Please Duo, can you please stop?" he begged. " At most, I'll help you wash the dishes."

Duo feigned innocence. " Oh? Stop what? What was I doing?"

At this moment, Mr J walked up to them. He was smiling. " I just heard the rumours about you, Quatre."

Quatre jumped to his own defense, " Mr J, it's not what you think."

He laughed, amused. " I know," he told him reassuringly. " I had my share of teasing when I was young." They tried to imagine him as a young boy but simply can't. It's hard, you know.

" Mr J," Heero said all of a sudden. " Can we speak to you in private?"

Mr J looked at him in puzzlement. " Is anything wrong?"

" We need to ask you about Gundam Magic."

" Gundam Magic?"

The girls sat down as Une spoke, " Gundam Magic is an old legendary magic. Even I myself do not know what it is like though I have seen the tablets."

" Tablets?" Hilde asked.

" To understand Gundam Magic, you have to start from the history."

" Why do you boys want to know about Gundam Magic? Haven't I told you before that it's is an old legendary magic that could have already been lost to us?"

There was a pause. " Quatre?" J asked.

" We have no choice, Quatre," Wufei told him. " I guess we should tell."

Heero agreed. So did the rest. So Quatre told Mr J their latest adventure. J listened, rapt. " Trowa, is this true?" he asked for confirmation after Quatre finished. This was incredible.

" Every bit is true, Sir," Trowa answered.

" This is true?" he asked again.

And all five replied, " Yes."

Mr J leaned back in his chair, thinking. " I have read about the article you found. Never did I dream that it would happen on my boys. Never."

" Gundam Magic may be our only hope," Heero said.

Mr J agreed with him. " It may be. I hate to admit but our police force seems rather incompetent, in terms of magical abilities." He paused and then continued, "To know about Gundam Magic, you must first know its history. The creation of Gundam Magic happened nearly 1500 years ago, 1497 years to be exact. Magic was rampant then and many new magic spells were being created in this magical realm. When men first discovered magic, they were both fascinated and frightened of its powerful nature. Only a handful of them were not. And so, due to pressure and threats by ignorant fools, these few groups joined together and branched off to form this magical realm, the one we now lived in. Here, magic is practiced widely…"

"…They soon formed kingdoms and social circles. You are aware of the history of King Dust? He was a good king but his mind was narrow. His daughter WindSong, the Princess of Magic, fell in love with the son of his enemy. In a fit of rage, he threw her out of the kingdom and killed her lover. This sparked a deeper enmity between the two kingdoms and not long after that, both fell. WindSong fled to the mountains, washing her face with tears," Une stopped to take a sip from her cup of tea. " She was a beautiful lady, with raven-coloured hair and fair skin. Furthermore, she was a very talented girl. Her magical abilities were rumoured to have far surpassed her father's, who was a very accomplished magician then. And it proves to be true…"

"…In her isolation, WindSong began to create magic of her own and she wrote them down in her books. She even took in two disciples, Black and Serena, the founders of the Gundam Magic Schools. They were on good terms then but a misunderstanding drove our two founders apart and they separated the schools… but that's another story," Mr J stopped to clear his throat. " One of the magic spells WindSong invented was the Gundam Magic. Surprising eh? That a woman invented one of the world's most powerful magic?…"

Miss Une stood up and faced the window. "…It is a very, very profound magic, so difficult that not just anyone can learn. Only those who are fated can do so. And the few who have once learnt it are Black, Serena, General Caruss, King Lias and a mysterious woman. That was all. It had struck fear in many and awed others. WindSong had wrote the formulas on five different tablets."

" Five?" Relena asked. " You mean there are five kinds of Gundam Magic?"

" Originally there are five. Later, Black and Serena created other sub-Gundam magic but the five remained the main forces…"

" Where is it now?"

"…It's with our school. Black won a duel with Serena and he got to keep the tablets. Though it has been stolen twice, it was fortunately recovered. I have tried to learn the magic but…I guess I'm not fated. I don't even understand what the words mean, how can I see the secret behind it? It is said that if you can learn the secret from one of the tablets, it opens the door to the other four. So you see if you learn one, provided that you are the chosen one, you actually learn four different others. But one person can only have one tablet."

The boys frowned. " I don't quite understand," Trowa commented.

Mr J laughed. " Neither do I but that's what the books say."

" Can we have a look?" Heero asked eagerly. That was unusual of him.

The principal stood up. " Sure. It is said that if that particular person is fated to learn the magic, the tablet will glow. Every six years or so, I bring out the tablets and let every one boy in the school have a chance to touch and see it, just to test whether anyone is that special person. I will then pass the tablets to the girls' school and they will do the check too. But up till now we have yet to see another chosen one. Oh, wait here." He moved in to a storeroom.

" Why six years?" said Quatre.

J chuckled. " Everyone of you will have to stay with me in this school for ten years, that is, if nothing crops up. No hurry to show it to you. Besides, I would have got to know all of you well by then to judge your character. We don't want the tablets to land in the wrong hands, do we? – Here it is!"

He walked over to them and placed a wooden box on the desk. It was dusty and so old that none of the boys can be sure of the original colour of the paint on the box. 

" Want me to send it to a museum?" Duo offered with a straight face.

Mr J gave him a short glare. " If this box is missing, you can be sure I'll look for you first."

He fished a bunch of keys from his pocket, selected one and opened the box. " It does not pay to be careless," he explained about keeping the keys by his side. The boys crowded round the box and Mr J took out the five tablets carefully, tenderly. Each one has a different colour – white, black, red, yellow and green. And to all their surprises, the tablets looked new, as if it had just been bought yesterday.

" Are you sure that these are the five? It looks new," Wufei said.

The old man nodded, " Remember, they are magical objects. Take one each, boys."

Heero and his friends reached out for the tablets. He took the white one. Wufei chose the green one. Quatre was drawn to the yellow one. Trowa selected the red one while Duo got the black one. Duo studied his. Inscribed on the front of the tablet was the word _Deathscythe._ The tablet felt smooth and hard. He knocked on it. Solid. It was not metal, neither is it made of any wood he know of. He raised a leg and brought the tablet down forcefully. 

" Duo!" J cried in dismay.

But the tablet did not break. Instead, Duo's leg hurt. " Incredible," he said, impressed. " What is it made of?"

Mr J heaved a sigh of relief. " Don't you ever do that again!" he chided him. " I don't know what it is made of but one thing I can be sure – these tablets are protected by magic." Duo pursed his lips and turned to Quatre. Quatre's tablet has the word _Sandrock. Trowa's tablet was __Heavyarms. Heero's piece was __Wing Zero. And Wufei's has __Shenlong. _

" What does this mean?" Heero asked his principal.

J shook his head regretfully. " No idea."

" How come you don't know anything?" Duo mumbled to himself.

" Can we take it home and study it further?"

Mr J looked at Heero, then at Duo, Trowa, Quatre and Wufei. He had always felt that they were an extraordinary bunch of pupils though he cannot explain why. It was simply an intuition. 

" We'll bring it back tomorrow," Heero promised.

What if they are those chosen ones, those who are fated to learn Gundam Magic? What if they managed to figure out the secret behind it? These boys were known for their intelligence, only Duo put his to pranks. 

" All right," he said. " But I want to see it first thing tomorrow morning. That is, if none of you here proved to be our long-awaited VIP."

" Thank you Mr J," they thanked him and turned to leave.

" Wait!" J said. They paused. " If anyone of you here spots OZ again, I want you to call me immediately. Those fellows are crazy. Or if you are feeling insecure, you can drop by at my house later with your belongings. I'll be glad to take you in and together we will deal with it. Only if the situation becomes unmanageable, will I call the police."

Heero shook his head. " We appreciate your concern, Mr J but we don't wish to drag you in unnecessarily."

" Yeah, we just want someone to know so he can collect our bodies," Duo added. He was known to be a candid boy.

And all of them became silent.

Back at Heero's apartment, the five boys were solemn. They could not take their eyes off the tablets and were constantly comparing the five. They could not spot any differences, or any similarities. It was…just a tablet. The door knocked and Quatre answered it. Relena, Hilde and Catherine stepped in. 

" We found out about Gundam Magic!" Hilde and Duo announced at the same time. 

" You did? Did you see the tablets?" Relena said.

All five put theirs on the coffee table and the girls scrutinized it. " Wow…" was all Catherine managed to say.

"Did you find out the secret behind it?" Relena asked.

Heero shook his head once. He handed his to Relena, to see if it glows. She mused over the words and then turned it over. " What's this?"


	6. Chapter 6

       @@Chapter Six@@      

Heero sat on the ledge of the balcony, staring into the starry night sky. When was the last time he had gaze into the stars, admiring their beauty? He took out the white tablet from his pocket and fingered it. He felt close to it, as if this Wing Zero is meant to be his. He could feel a bond with it. It was exactly the same feeling he had when he was first taught to use a gun. He knew it was his destiny, he understood he was born to be different from normal kids and he had no regrets. 

He turned the tablet over and inscribed on the back were the words _The Heart of the Universe._ What does it means? Is this the formula to learning the magic? If so, how come it has only one line? It looked more like a sentence to him, rather than a magical formula._ The Heart of the Universe._ Could it have something to do with the universe? Why is the tablet white in colour? Why are the tablets in five different colours? Could the colour be some form of clue? White represents purity and innocence. The universe is dark in colour. Is it supposed to be a contrast? What was WindSong thinking when she was making these?

Soft footsteps came from behind him. He turned. 

" Can't sleep?" Quatre asked him. He leaned on the ledge beside his friend. Seeing Heero's tablet, Quatre took out his. " Figure out anything?" 

Heero shook his head. " You?" 

" Nothing."

" What are your words?"

Quatre turned his yellow tablet and showed it to him. " _The Love of Elements_. I think it has something to do with the elements in the world. I don't think I can sleep tonight. Duo and the rest are sleeping rather peacefully. I wonder how they can sleep."

" Do you think the colour means anything?"

" I don't know. I keep thinking of yellow as sunlight. After WindSong's lover was killed, I doubt that was ever sunlight again in her life. I keep thinking of it as her hope, a hope to find sunlight again in her life."

Heero frowned. " Yellow – sunlight. White – purity. Black – darkness. Red – blood. Green – "

" Hope," Quatre answered it for Heero. " I always thought of green as a symbol of hope. Like grass and trees. They grow on earth with the hope to live only."

There was a pause. Then both of them burst out, " I got it!!!"

" You first," Quatre said eagerly.

" Take mine as a start. My tablet is white and the words are _The Heart of the Universe._ White represents purity. And what kind of purity can be found in the universe? Light. White light. The sun," Heero started.

" Sun is a yellow-orangey ball of fire," Quatre went on. " It gives life to everything on earth. In magic, we learn that everything is made up of elements. The sun helps elements to grow, like wood and the grass on earth."

" But not everything is pure on earth," Heero stared into space thoughtfully. " We have our dark moments. And eventually, everyone and everything will have to die. When we die, we go to hell. Hell is dark."

Quatre nodded. " Right. Humans have blood. So do plants and animals. It represents life, the power to live. But some people find that the power to live is not enough. They want more. More power. And in the process, precious blood is lost. Other people's blood and theirs too. Then comes revenge. The debt gets heavier, dirtying everything, making all darker to live in."

" All of us have hopes. Bad hopes, good hopes. Your hopes can be different from mine. It all depends on the person. To a sick man, he can either hope to find an elixir so he can continue living or just die quickly to lessen his pains. An orphan only hopes to have some parental love. A lonely widow hopes she can bring her husband back to life. For someone who is down, he hopes there is a god to help him. For a son who wants revenge, he harbours hopes to take revenge. Our tablets are actually inter-related," concluded Heero. 

" No wonder Mr J said having one tablet means having the other four. Now I understand," Quatre smiled. 

And their tablets glowed. Softly. Magically.

And from a room, a door burst opened and the other three boys rushed out to the balcony, holding out their tablets to show the two.

And all five announced loudly, " Our tablets glowed!"

There was a slight pause. " I thought you were asleep?" Quatre asked.

Duo grinned. " We can't sleep. So after you went out, we began to discuss."

" And I suppose all of us have seen the light now." Trowa looked from one boy to the other.

" Looks like we are meant to learn the Gundam Magic," Wufei said. His _Shenlong_ tablet had the words _God is as you see it. _" Mine is hope. The magic of hope."

Quatre presented his neatly on his palm. " Mine is elements. The magic of elements."

_A Debt of Blood, the words behind _Heavyarms, _belonged to Trowa. " Mine is power. The magic of power, blood."_

Duo proudly held his _Deathscythe tablet out with a malicious grin. " _Death, Angel of Darkness,"_ he told his mates. " Mine is death, darkness. The magic of darkness. God of Death."_

Heero regarded his contemporaries for a moment and smiled. A little. Briefly. The owner of _Light, The Heart of the Universe said, " Mine is light. The magic of light."_

Mr J learned about it the first thing tomorrow morning. It was Friday and many students could not wait for the weekend to start. The school was noisy as usual and Mr J could only listened with his mouth gaping to what the five boys have to say. And of course, they got to keep the tablets.

After school that day, they stayed back to practice the Gundam Magic in the school grounds. Mr J supervised them, along with Miss Une. Miss Une had called Mr J earlier to inform him of OZ and the danger the boys will be facing. She was surprised to learn that they had already told him and even more to hear that they were the ones destined to have the tablets. The two watched in amazement as the boys displayed the secret they had obtained from the tablets and how it helped to enhance their magical abilities to a greater level, surpassing them. 

            *************************************************************

Noin appeared in a flash of light just in front of Treize and Zechs. The three were outside Magic Town, on the green hill. Noin gave a slight bow. " Master says to only go after Relena Peacecraft."

" Why?" Zechs asked.

" The other two will die soon. They are no longer of a threat."

" Another dream?"

" Yes."

" Anything else?"

Noin stiffened. " Yes," she replied. " Master wants us to attack all the magical realms. I don't understand why. I thought we are suppose to destroy the children?"

Treize turned to her. " We were suppose to start our conquer when the dream interrupted it. I think he wants to test the abilities of the children, see what makes them fit to challenge the great one."

Zechs nodded in agreement. " Not to mention the impatience behind it. When do we start Treize?"

" Three days from today. We need time to prepare the army."

      ****************************************************************

Une left the Gundam Boys' Magic School with many thoughts in her mind. She was very surprised to discover the fact that the five boys were the owners of the Gundam tablets. The principle behind the tablets was profound and she herself would never figure it out even if she was given a lifetime. Deeply, she admired them, that they were able to possess one of the world most powerful magic. Une admit silently to herself the tinge of jealousy in her heart. Given the chance, she herself would gladly love to possess such ultimate strength. Oh well!

Treize came into her mind, his image filling up her eyes. Where can he be? No matter how strong he is, she doubt he can ever defeat the boys now, not when they have now learnt the secret of Gundam Magic. A few more practice and the boys would be invincible, undisputed. 

A surge of anxiety and fear washed all over Une and she shivered in the sudden gust of cold, merciless wind. She pulled her red jacket closer to her body and brushed her messy hair aside. She has to find him. Urgently. Quickly. Fast. But where can he be? If he was here in town…no, he cannot be here in town. Strangers like him would certainly attract some attention, especially good-looking and mysterious ones like him. If her intuition served her right, he must be somewhere near the town and the nearest landscape to this town would be the hills. 

Upon realizing this, Une's feet took over. She ran as fast as she could out of town and over to the hills. There are several luscious, evergreen hills surrounding Magic Town. If Treize remained the same Treize she had known, he will have chosen the most beautiful piece of all for he was a man who valued Mother Nature's beauty. Une ran and ran.

" We have company," Treize told his allies. All three spun round to greet their newcomer. It was Une, a panting Une who had ran non-stop to confirm her suspicions of where her childhood mate would be. 

Noin held out an arm in precaution. " You," she said to Une. Their last battle flashed across her mind. Une was a tough woman.

Une approached them slowly, her forehead covered with sweat despite the obvious signs of cooler weather. 

" I…I need to talk to you, Treize."

" Back off!" Noin warned her. Zechs stepped forward to assist her.

" Zechs, Noin, leave us for a moment. I need to speak to her in private," Treize ordered.

" Mr Treize!" Noin cried in disbelief.

" She is an enemy," Zechs argued. 

Treize merely laughed and said amiably, " Lady Une is an old friend of mine, in fact, my first best friend. It has been ages since we last met and have a good chat. Leave us alone I pray you. Une will never harm me. Right, my Lady?"

Une looked at him and her eyes watered. " Yes, I will never wish to harm you." _Unless you are no longer the good-natured Treize I knew, she added in silence._

Of the three OZ members, Treize has the highest authority and the two have no choice but to obey him. Soldiers do not ask, they obey orders. After Zechs and Noin have left them, Treize and Une was surrounded with an uncomfortable stillness. Suddenly, our Lady Une was speechless. She could not find any words to fill in between them. She struggled to speak and what came out was a hoarse, "Why?" 

Treize gazed at her steadily. " Why? Why am I in OZ? There is a story behind it. After my parents moved away, after I reluctantly left you, we went to live in the Land of Miracles. As you know, my mother was ill and my father wished that the doctors there could heal her. But four days after we arrived, she passed away in her sleep. My father was devastated and he died of misery a year later. I was left alone with all my family's fortunes. I had no relatives and no friends. So I decided to come back to you. But halfway through my return journey, a wicked witch attacked me. She wanted all my family fortune. At this critical moment, OZ saved me and took me in. I was badly injured and they nursed me back to health. OZ taught me magic and they treated me well. I very much admire their ideas and attitude. 

" And I saw war for the first time. It was not here in any of the magic realms but on earth. I saw how people of different ethnic groups fight for stupid reasons, how an airy word sparks off a war, how the strong ones always win, how different ideas lead to more fighting. Suddenly, all the ugly sides to a human were presented straight into my face. Shocked, I was brought in to see Master for the first time. He talked to me for a long time and behind his veil I could sense a powerful and extraordinary being. He wanted to unite all the magical realms. He told me about previous wars in the different magical realms, how we must fight to protect our loved ones and everything we treasure. In the process however, we might lose something we love but we can find it again, plant it into the ground and grow it once more. 

" And Master is right. I thought to myself, people would only realize how wrong and pathetic they are when they are suffering. After they see how painful a war is and experience it themselves, they will repent. However in some cases, the ones with fiery souls, with a nature so wild to tame may never see it. They think they are right, that the country is theirs only and refuses to see how sometimes help from an outsider can make the country a better place to live in. Rather than let the people suffer again, we kill them. But perhaps in the battling process they might see the light again and change for the better. Une, can't you see the beauty of war? How it changes one person?"

Une shook her head. " Treize, war is not beautiful. It is cruel and I don't want you to get hurt in it. Please, leave OZ. Please."

" I know you care about me, you have always care about me but I know what I want."

" Wake up, Treize! OZ is a cult! If it is really so good, why would it resort to such unscrupulous methods to get what it wants?" Une raised her voice.

To her amazement, her friend agreed with her. " Yes, it is rather unscrupulous but this is war, a battle and only the stronger party wins. I feel sorry for their deaths but this is for peace, for the entire human race. We sacrifice a little but we can gain tremendous rewards. Humans will never be the same again."

And Une became confused. She could not seem to fathom any of it but yet she felt as if she understood Treize all along. She clutched her head in anguish. Who is right? What is wrong?

" Une? Une, are you okay?" Treize ran to her side. 

" I don't know…" she mumbled. " I don't know what's right or wrong anymore…I don't want anyone to get hurt…I don't want you to get hurt…"

" Didn't you once say that no matter what I do you'll always be behind me, supporting me? I am not wrong, Une. I believe in all that I believe in and I don't believe in all that I don't believe in. I am not wrong."

" Well-said," a voice praised Treize out of nowhere. It was deep and sonorous, but so discorded like a broken radio that no one can tell whether the speaker is a male or female. One can only guess. Treize however recognized that voice.

" Master!" he said to the air. Une looked about warily but could see no one.

" Is she your friend, my loyal subordinate?" the voice asked.

" My first best friend," Treize answered truthfully.

" Do you want her to be by your side forever?"

" I never want to force anyone."

Une opened her mouth to speak but suddenly, her mind went blank and the world before her spun in vertigo. She tried to grasp onto something but failed. Treize grabbed her just as she fell. There was nothing in front of Une, only darkness and a strange sensation. Something was not right, changing, manipulating, tossing her aboard, controlling her every movement and thought, changing…

" Une! Can you hear me? Une, answer me!" Treize begged frantically. 

" She'll be all right. She's just – confused. She needs to straighten her thoughts," the voice replied soothingly.

The last sentence penetrated into Treize and he froze for a brief second. " No, Master you cannot do this. She does not want to."

The voice laughed, amused. " Treize darling, your Lady Une is not working for me. She is working for you. Isn't that what you want, her by your side? From now on, she will serve you only. This is your reward for all your efforts and loyalty."

As soon as "Master" finished, Une opened her eyes abruptly, as if she was a vampire called awake by a priest. In her life, there was no longer anything that mattered to her but Treize. He shall be her life. " Mr Treize," Une said as she stood up and saluted. " I have straightened it out. I shall follow you."

"Master" laughed again. " Congratulations on your new member on the team, Treize." 

And he was gone.

Treize stared at Une and she stared back in answer. He knew he cannot defy his orders. As long as he is around, he will see that no harm shall befall on his Lady Une. There is little he can do except to accept the new Une.

" Come, let's introduce you to Zechs and Noin. We have work to do."

News of the conquer of several magical realms reached Magic Town. Out of their 22 realms, 3 have ceased to exist while 4 have joined OZ. The speed was incredible and their efficiency was terrifying. OZ does not care. They only win and winning is what they do best. They are impervious to the countless of blood shed and lives lost to the God of Death. OZ is out to create hell for all.


	7. Chapter 7

                 Chapter Seven

The news of OZ spread like wildfire, an incandescent heat that created panic all over the realms. No one knows what to do. Military forces can do little to curb their voracious appetite. Many watched helplessly as their hometowns were destroyed by OZ. Suddenly, OZ was no longer a clandestine organization. It was alive and kicking. It was a disaster.

Mr J had called in his erstwhile friends, all professors like him – O, H, S and G. Years ago, the professors were once involved in a war between two magical realms and J, O, H, S and G were their code names. They had helped the military to deal with some tough problems regarding spells and potions.  Since then, they have never change back to their original names. The five professors sat in J's office solemnly.

" I'm sure you are aware why I called you here," J said, adjusting his spectacles.

His mushroom-headed friend, G, answered, " Of course, now tell us what you have in mind."

" Gundam Magic. That is the only way to stop OZ."

" Gundam Magic!?" all exclaimed aloud.

" Someone has mastered it?!" O asked. He was the tallest and toughest-looking professor of them all. Bald, he had once wished desperately for hair.

J said, " Yes, five boys from my school have mastered it, five very talented boys."

" Did you say boys?!" Professor H stared at him, incredulous. He twitched his thin, black moustache. " How can that be?"

" It is true. I have witnessed it myself. OZ is far too strong and merciless for our military forces to handle. Only Gundam Magic can stop them now. And we must act quickly before more damage are done!"

S, the one with the fake nose, sighed. " Unbelievable. But we believe you, J. You never lie. 3 realms have ceased to exist because of their unwillingness to join OZ. And we just received news this morning that one more realm has given in, and that makes it six of them! We now have 13 realms left to protect. They are quick."

" If there is no objection from any of you, we shall start the operation."

*********************************************************

Heero, Duo, Trowa, Wufei, Relena, Catherine and Hilde stood outside Magic Town. Quatre was running towards them, panting. " Guys!" he shouted.

" Quatre," Duo greeted him. " What did Mr J say?"

" We battle," the blond boy replied simply.

There was a deep silence as everyone absorbed the news in. " If anyone is afraid, you can stay behind," Heero told them flatly.

" Afraid!" Duo snorted. " Whatever gives you this crazy idea? We are with you! Right?" The other three boys nodded in agreement.

" We are going with you," Hilde said.

" You stay behind," Heero said.

" Why?"

" OZ might attack Magic Town, no our realm. We need some capable people here to protect it."

" But…You're right."

A honk sounded loud behind them. The group turned and saw a black expensive limousine heading in their direction. It stopped and the five professors stepped out. 

" So these are the five talented boys," G remarked. " Very handsome fellows eh?"

" Indeed," H agreed.

" We are here to see you off," J said. " We received a very reliable news that OZ is going to attack Dragon Land soon. You five will head there."

 " Right," Duo said. "To think I thought OZ might have given up on us when we didn't hear anything from them for days. But then, they are actually attacking the realms! Those scoundrels."  

" They want to test us, I think that's partly the reason for the sudden attack of the realms," Trowa said thoughtfully.

" Hmm, no matter what, they are the bad guys here and we'll bring them down. This isn't the first time I'm going into war anyway," Wufei said.

" Neither am I," Quatre replied.

" Second time," Duo grinned.

" Same," Trowa joined in.

" We all have experience war before," Heero looked at his friends knowingly. " Let's go."

" Be careful! Good luck boys!" J called out as they began to walk away.

The girls were biting back their tears. " Must they really go to war?" Catherine mumbled.

" No choice," Hilde told her. " You know, I have known they were different when I first saw them. Call it woman's intuition."

" Heero…" Relena watched painfully. " Heero! All of you! Please come back soon! Heero!" 

The five boys turned back to take one last look. " Be careful! Trowa!" Catherine shouted to her brother. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

" Bye!" Duo said on behalf of all of them. They have long prepared for today, ever since they first stepped into Magic Town.

The five formed a circle. " This is it," Qautre looked at his mates. They took a deep breath and closed their eyes. A dazzling light enveloped them and then, they were gone.

The professors and the girls stood in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. " Any news of Miss Une?" Relena asked Mr J. 

He shook his head. " None. It's as if she has disappeared into thin air. I wonder if OZ has…" he paused. " …Killed her. Anyway, you will be getting a new principal soon – Miss Sally Po. She's a brilliant woman. Young but capable, like Miss Une. Come, I'll send you all home."

Reluctantly, the group left in the limousine and drove away.

*********************************************************

A baby dragon has just hatched out of its egg. Its mother watched it tenderly and nuzzled it with warm love. The baby cried out, happy to be in this world with such a kind mother. It looked at its new world with innocent eyes, filled with adventurous interest. 

The wet, green, scaly animal took a wobbling step, its very first step, and then fell. But it did not cry. The gentle grass cushioned its fall and instead, the baby laughed. The mother licked its small cheek, her tail wagging with love. She playfully poked her short white horns on her baby's buttocks so that it jumped up in surprise.

The baby looked at its mother and touched its head. How come it has horns? Nevermind, the mother told him. You will have horns too when you grow up. The baby laughed again and turned to examine the world. Big mountains and trees, little bees and flowers, other huge dragons, flying dragons, walking dragons, a shimmering lake, delicious fruits, blue sky…Wow! Such an exciting world! This is life!

A strange bright light appeared in front of the baby dragon suddenly. It yelped and ran to its mother for protection. The mother tensed, its body shaking with anticipation. Five weird-looking creatures appeared from the light…those kinds with two legs, what do you call them? Humans! Oh no, what do they want from them? Do they want to steal her baby, like those stupid kings in the past who made use of their dragon ancestors as slaves of transport and wealth to show off to their friends? No matter what, she must protect her baby! They can kill her but not her child! He must live!

Duo blinked. " Wow…A dragon."

His friends turned in his direction. None of them have ever seen a dragon before. The mother studied them with black fury.

" Do we run?" Duo asked his friends. " It looked unfriendly."

Trowa stepped forward and approached the dragon carefully. Mother Dragon tensed even more, ready to attack. " No need to fear us," he said gently. " We mean no harm. We are friends."

He touched her cheek and the adult dragon was surprised to find such a warm and loving touch. He is no enemy. She calmed down as Trowa stroked her, whispering in a language she could not understand yet somehow understand. 

Her baby peeped out from behind. Seeing its mother in such a relaxed manner, it bounced forward to study the stranger better. Trowa picked him up and the two stared at each other face-to-face. The mother again pocked its bottom with her horns and the child jumped right into Trowa's shoulder. She laughed. 

Trowa held the baby with great care. " Don't worry," he said to his partners. " The mother meant no harm. She just wanted to protect her baby. Besides, we are the aliens here."

The four joined Trowa cautiously. " Can I touch it?" Quatre whispered softly, fascinated. 

The mother poked her head forward and Heero, Wufei and Duo leapt back immediately. She nuzzled Quatre, sniffing him and then let out a murmur. Trowa handed the baby dragon to Quatre. It nipped at his golden locks and then spit it out in disgust. What's that stuff? Quatre laughed, amused, and tickled its tummy. It squirmed in his arms and laughed, enjoying it.

" Let the experts handle it, we'll stay here," Wufei commented. Duo nodded vigorously. 

" We need to so some exploring," Heero said. " OZ might attack any moment."

Quatre reluctantly put down the baby. " Bye."

" You're good," Duo praised. " How did you do that?"

Trowa shrugged. " I used to work in a circus."

" Or should I say animals know who are the gentle ones," Heero said.

The two dragons watched the five leave and the mother resumed to showing her baby its new world.

*********************************************************

The five had no idea how long they walked but soon night descended on them like a dark cloak. They settled down below a huge tree and Quatre offered to go find some food. Trowa volunteered to go with him and off they go. 

" I told you no one lives here," grumbled Duo. " Only those dragons."

Neither Wufei nor Heero answer him. Duo began to hum, silently at first but as his stomach growled louder, so does his tuneless humming. Irritated, Wufei told him to shut up.

" But it keeps me from thinking about my hunger!" Duo protested.

Quatre and Trowa returned with an armful of juicy fruits and firewood. Duo gobbled down his dinner gratefully. The two had managed to find some strawberries, apples and pears. Wufei started a warm fire going. 

After dinner, the five teenagers each find themselves a comfortable spot to sleep in. Duo argued with Wufei over who should take the spot near a bush. Heero climbed up a tree. He surveyed their dark surroundings. Except for the occasional low moan of a dragon or two, all was well. Below him, Trowa and Quatre talked about musical instruments.

" You know how to play the flute?" Quatre said softly. " Maybe we could play a duet sometime."

" But I lost my flute a while ago."

" It's ok, I've got one."

With all these assurances, Heero soon succumbed to his exhaustion.

*********************************************************

At dawn, Heero was awaken by something. He could not describe what it was. It was just a feeling. He glanced down. Trowa was up. " You felt it too?" Heero asked him.

" Yes, but I don't know what it is."

" Neither do I."  

One by one, the others woke up with the same impending intuition feeling. Their answer came when a flash of light streaked passed overhead, like a falling white star. The five followed the flash of light and came to a green clearing. Who shall greet them was none other than Miss Une from the Gundam Girls' School of Magic.

" Miss Une!" Duo said in disbelief. " What are you doing here? Where have you been?"

Lady Une slowly turned round. She had on her glasses and her hair was neatly tied in two buns. She narrowed her eyes at the approaching group. Heero caught the suspicious look and braked in his steps. 

" Miss Une, the girls are very worried about you," said Qautre.

" Heero, what's wrong?" Duo asked when he noticed his friend stopping.

" You are not Miss Une," he said.

They turned to look at him carefully and back at Une. She smiled. " You're right, Heero Yuy. I am not Miss Une. I am Lady Une. Red Blood Force!!!" A red powerful magic force shot at the five and they dodged hastily. " I serve Treize only and forever! Red Blood Force!"

" Curse it! OZ got her!" Duo yelled.

" Shield!" Heero responded quickly and created a round ball of cover for his mates and himself. " Elements of Nature – Earth!" The ground trembled and rose up high, covering Une completely.

" Don't hurt her, Heero," Quatre said, placing a hand on his friend's arm. " She's not herself."

It took Une mere seconds to break free from her earthy prison. " You have to do better than that!" she shouted and released another spell. 

" Dark lord of hell, hear my cries. I am your one and now I call upon your help in this destruction!" Duo chanted and held out his arms in the shape of a cross. It not only blocked Une's spell but also rebound it with twice the force back at her. Une blocked it off with a murmur and the ground between them exploded with thick smoke. 

The smoke cleared and the six were standing exactly where they were before the explosion, unfazed by the impact. " You have improved tremendously," she told them.

" Thanks for the compliment," Duo said.

" But as you are here fighting with me, Treize and the others are out there declaring war on those stupid dragons."

" What?"

As soon as she finished her sentence, the sudden, anguished roars of the dragons reached their ears. Trowa clenched his hands. How can they hurt such gentle creatures?

" We've been tricked," Heero said. 

" Yes," Lady Une continued to smile. " But you still have to get through me first."

" Leave her to me," Trowa said suddenly.

" Can you handle her?" Heero asked but he already knew the answer.

" Don't worry. We are the Gundam Guardians."

" Gundam Guardians," Wufei grinned. " I like the sound of it."

" Gundam…Guardians?" Lady Une said, a little ruffled. She had forgot that they held the Gundam tablets.

" As holders of the Gundam tablets, we vow to guard the universe from villains like OZ. That's what makes us guardians," Trowa said, his heart boiling with fury as the cries of the dragons for help rose higher.

" Show it to her, Trowa," Heero agreed. " And don't take too long. Come on."

" Be careful," Quatre said as he ran past him with the others.

Lady Une stared at him with cold, penetrating dark brown eyes. " Trowa Barton. Let's see what you've got."

" You will get it, believe me." He pointed a finger at her. " Heavyarms –" he fixed his target on her with an unflinching coolness. " – Gatling Cannon!" A cluster of rays shot from his finger towards Lady Une. She built a shield immediately but it failed to protect her from his power. She was dragged back by these bullet-like rays that stopped just before she hit a tree. Lady Une was wounded in her carelessness.

Trowa calmly strolled away from the scene.


	8. Chapter 8

***___Chapter Eight___*** 

His parents died when he was very young. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by an assassin who killed a great and famous leader. At a tender age, he was taught all about battles and killings. In fact, he has learnt the art of murder. Then this great assassin died too. An eccentric scientist, a friend of the assassin, adopted him next. He became a guinea pig, a white rat which was taught how to be the prefect soldier, to show the human race the secret potential behind a mere mortal – how someone normal can be an invincible god. He was sent to his first battle. And he won. He was sent to another battle. And he won. And he kept on winning in all these bloody wars until one night when a lady in white called him. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She whispered something in his ears, willing him to follow her. Behind him, the scientist shouted for him but he did not care. He followed the lady, this floating ghost of his illusion, and arrived in another realm, the realm that was his true home – EverlastVille.

The boy with no childhood. He was Heero Yuy.

He has no recollection of his parents. He has never seen them. As far as his memories stretched back, he has always been wandering from place to place as a beggar and thief. A streetwise urchin, he met a benevolent priest one day. The priest took him in. So he lived in this huge church and grew fond of it and its people. But he did not grow fond of god. If that was such a thing as god, he thought, it would not allow any wars between people. So the only god he believed that exists is the God of Death and the only other realm he believed in other than earth was hell. There was no heaven, no Jesus. One fine day, a group of wounded soldiers came to the church, along with many other war refugees. The kind priest took them all in, even though the wounded soldiers were supposed to be enemies. He did not like it. He had a bad feeling.  He returned to the church one morning after an outing to find the building razed down and all the people dead. Every human being and animal that lived in it. Before he knew it, he was trapped in war. A weary and anguished soul, he met her. The lady in white. She had appeared out of nowhere and had smiled at him. A very lovely smile. No, a heavenly smile. She was an angel, the one the priest had often showed him. She spoke to him softly and led him away from the war torn place to a realm, a magical realm called EverlastVille.

The boy who called himself the God of Death. He was Duo Maxwell.

He did not believe he has parents. Since young, his only companions were animals. They were his family and he trusted them. He has a sister, a gentle sister who loved animals too. Then war came in and destroyed this brief happiness. The two were separated. He had stood alone, watching the war rendering before him. He did not cry. He just watched. From then on, he lost his smile. He did not know how to cry or smile anymore. He became an ice, a thick block of impenetrable ice. The war lasted a year and soon he found his sister again in a circus. Together both were taught and trained to perform in the circus. He was the star of the show and he never failed to draw in crowds. They travelled round the world and before long, another war set in and they had to flee. One night, during a brief rest, he saw her. He had thought it was a phantom but no, she was real. Or seemed real. She smiled at him, so sweetly and gently. This lady, dressed in white array, spoke to him and told him to follow her. He did and behind, his sister chased after him and he pleaded with the white lady to let his sister come with him. She nodded. So together both of them entered into EverlastvVille, one of the 22 magical realms.

The boy with an ugly clown mask. He was Trowa Barton.

He was born into one of the richest families in the world. His only regret was that not been able to see his mother, who had passed away at childbirth. He has 29 sisters who adored him. He was dubbed to be one of the world's luckiest people, and he will become one of the most eligible bachelors when he grows up. His life was surrounded with wealth and comfort. He has no worries until he saw war for the first time. He saw how people of the same country fought with each other, how his father was framed and murdered, how his family was ruined and slapped in the face with a bad reputation. He saw what some people would do for power; how they can betray their own friends, kill their own people. His gentle heart was wrenched in pain and he nearly went mad. How can anyone be so cruel? Humans, the supposedly noblest in the animal kingdom can actually be worst than a beast. Confused and shattered, he thought of ending his life. Then this lady, a mysterious lady in a soft, flowing white dress appeared. She spoke to him. She has the most beautiful voice he had ever heard and the most exquisite face he had ever seen. She was an angel. And so he followed her, followed her to this strange new realm – EverlastVille.

The boy with a tender heart. He was Quatre Raberba Winner.

He led the traditional life of a Chinese scholar and was married to a girl at 14. He did not like her and neither did she like him. Both were too young to be tied down. She harped on justice, so much so that subconsciously this virtue was instilled in him unknowingly. Then she died in a war. This merciless life-stealing battle had reached his hometown barely a year after their marriage and in order to protect the people she treasured, her life was sacrificed. He grieved genuinely over her death. Though he had never regarded her as his wife, she was nevertheless a good companion. His family and home was destroyed, along with thousands of peace-loving people. So he took up the sword and fought his way for justice. Leading others with the same vision, they managed to drive the enemies out, but only for a short while. They soon returned with twice the destruction. He had failed. Suddenly, he felt lost. He did not know what to do. He had no strength. He was weak. And he hated it. She appeared to him one night under a tree, this beautiful lady in a white robe. She soothed his soul and gave him strength again. She told him something, something important and asked him to follow her. And he did. She brought him to EverlastVille, his new home, and he vowed to protect it with his blood.

 The boy who seek and activated his own sense of justice. He was Chang Wufei.

They were the Gundam boys. 

And they never saw the lady again.

************************************************************

The boys ran, like tantivy horses. Trowa caught up with them a while later.

" That was fast," Duo said

" She was careless," Trowa said.

The sound of battle between the dragons and their intruders got louder as louder as they drew closer and closer to it. With hearts thumping and heaving chests, they burst into the scene of crime. What greeted them at first sight was the freshly slaughtered head of a dragon. Qautre gasped. Duo fought back an urge to turn his back and throw up. Its eyes were wide open and blood gushed out from its wound like moving water in a pipe. The dragon's mouth hung open in shock. Trowa touched its skin. " It's warm," he commented quietly.

Heero clenched his fists and led the way round the dead animal. More dead dragons lay before them and further down, Treize and his troops were engaged in a fierce battle with some of the land's toughest dragons. The stench of blood was strong, especially those from his hands. 

" Quatre, you take the north. Duo, you take the south. Wufei, you go to the east and Trowa, the west is yours. I'll take up the central position," Heero directed.

The five spilt. Treize's army was dressed in a navy blue uniform with a matching beret. Treize wore the same navy blue shirt with pure white pants and no beret. Their attacks were well organized and steady. It was as if they have been doing this all their lives. The green dragons were trying their very best to drive them away but it was futile. OZ was much stronger than them.

" Deathscythe – Twin-beam Scythe!" Duo shouted with gusto. A magical rod weapon with two scythe-like green beams at the tip of it appeared in his hands. " Meet your God of Death! Hell is here!" He sliced two OZ soldiers and they vaporized into thin air. " These guys aren't real," he realized and spun round to welcome a fresh group of charging soldiers.

" Shenlong – Dragon Fangs!" Wufei cried out as he rushed into the battle zone. He thrust out his arms and a green, eerie light shot out from his arms and travelled straight at six OZ soldiers who were the unlucky ones blocking his path. They vanished into thin air. Using his arms to guide the green light of Dragon Fangs, Wufei grabbed two of the soldiers and banged them hard against each other. 

" Sandrock – Cross Crushers!" Quatre said, activating his Gundam Magic. Two magical scythe-like weapons appeared in his hands and using these, he chopped up his enemies swiftly. He generated red-hot heat into these dangerous weapons and threw behind his back at two soldiers who were planning on a sneak attack. It hit the two and sliced them into neat halves before they vaporized. 

" Heavyarms – Gatling Cannon!" Trowa commanded. Instead of pointing at his enemy, like what he did to Lady Une, he held out his palms so more of these red bullet-like rays were released. Ten enemies went down at one go and thirteen more at another go. 

While fighting, the boys also helped to direct the surviving dragons to safety. " Wing Zero – Shield!" Heero said as he threw a cover for himself and other dragons near him. These OZ soldiers were more adept at fire and lightning spells.  

" Run!" Heero shouted to the dragons. As if they understood human language, they turned their backs and fled. The more stubborn ones stayed to fight. And died. 

" Twin-Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero held out his arms straight in front him, fists touching. A refulgent golden light spread through the ground, killing any enemies that stood in its path. He parted his arms to his sides and turned one full circle, eradicating everything near him. A small smile curled on the dark-haired boy's lips. 

************************************************************

" Heero," Relena sighed. She was seated in the school's library, staring blankly out of the window. She could not concentrate, and a test is due tomorrow. Relena sighed once more, helplessly. Her heart thumped furiously. Something was not right. She could not pinpoint exactly what but something just did not feel right. Hilde often teased her about having white hair before turning thirty. Relena just could not help worrying. She turned back to her book.

" Relena!" Hilde called out she ran to her. " Relena!"

" Hilde, what's the matter?"

" We're under attack!"

" What?"

" OZ is attacking us!"

" How can that be? Aren't they attacking Dragon Land?" Relena said in disbelief.

Hilde did not look as if she was lying. "Some minutes ago, our military force received a warning from them to surrender. Of course we won't surrender. So those pigs broke into our defenses an attack us! For all you know, that piece of so-called reliable news about attacking Dragon Land is rubbish! We've been tricked!"

Relena's heart stopped. Her palms began to sweat. " Where are they now?"

" North of EverlastVille. They will reach us soon. The North forces are trying their best to force them out but I don't think they can…"

" Where's Mr J?"

" He's announcing the news to the whole town. Miss Po wants us to help. Some of the girls are getting hysterical."

************************************************************

Hilde and Relena rushed to the school hall. There, hundreds of girls sat waiting for more news. Some sat silently. Some had fainted from the oppressive heat and were being carried out to the sick bay. Others were on the verge of breaking down. 

Miss Sally Po was standing at the front, near a radio and amplifiers. She was a proud-looking woman with strong moral values. Her light brown hair lay limply at the front of her shoulders, eyes filled with anger and anxiety. Her eyelids flickered at the sight of the two girls and she smiled briefly before continuing her glum look. Dressed in a white blouse and dark green, plain knee-length skirt, both of which were cheap pieces of cloths, she hardly resembles a school principal. Like Miss Une, both were not cut out to be principals.

" Relena, Hilde," she acknowledged them. 

" Miss Po," they both did likewise.

" Some of the girls over there are not handling the news too well. You go comfort them. I heard you are rather good at that Relena."

" Thanks for the compliment, Miss Po. How is the situation now?"

" The radio has been babbling non-stop with unimportant news. I know they are trying to reassure the citizens but…it's no use. By now, all of us are well aware of the cruelty of OZ." 

Unable to find any words to comfort the principal, Relena moved away to a corner of the hall where some frightened girls sat. Catherine was trying to calm them down.

" Relena!" Catherine brightened up at her arrival. " Talk to them, I just can't knock any sense into them."

" We're all going to die," one of the distraught girls muttered and started rocking herself.

" We are not going to die," Relena shot back. " No matter how invincible OZ is, there has to be a weakness in them. If we stand together, we need not be afraid of them. Have you heard of Gundam Magic?"

" Gundam Magic?" one remarked. " It's one of the world's most powerful magic."

" Yes. And let me inform you that five boys, five special boys, are holding the Gundam tablets. They will show OZ their mistake. We need to have faith in them. So please, pray for them. Pray for their success."

One by one, the girls lowered their heads, clasping their hands tightly and prayed. 

" You're great, Relena!" Catherine whispered to her.

" No. I'm not. I'm just as scared as they are."

Relena turned just in time to see Miss Sally Po leaving abruptly after talking to the vice-principal, who has now taken her place at the front. Relena was about to chase after her when the radio reported news of the invasion.

"…OZ has defeated the North military forces and are now marching towards Green Hills…"

" Green Hills? After Green Hills, they will come to Fair Fort, then Red Horizon, then Magic Town!" Catherine gasped in horror and realization. 

Over the radio, came the voice of Mr J. " Please do not panic. I repeat, please do not panic. All women, children and old folks please head to the underground shelters for cover. All able-bodied and _willing_ men please assemble at Gundam Boys' School of Magic. We have a town and people to protect…" Immediately, the vice-principal began to direct the school.

" Is there no other way?" Relena said to herself. " Must we really resort to violence? Maybe we can talk to them, find out the reason behind their attacks…"

" No use," Hilde interrupted. " OZ won't talk. And the reason behind their attacks is obvious. They want to be the sole ruler of the realms! After they have defeated us, they'll go for earth. After all, if they can beat us, earth is nothing to them."

" But how do you know – "

" I was in OZ!" Hilde blurted out unexpectedly. " I know!"

" What?" Both Relena and Catherine were shocked.

At this moment, one of the teachers came to them. " Girls! Follow me quick! What are you standing here for? Come!" She grabbed hold of Relena and Hilde and trotted to the exit. Catherine followed behind. Hilde bit her lower lip and looked away from Relena's questioning eyes.

************************************************************

" Heero Yuy." 

Heero whirled round upon hearing his name and ducked down fast when he saw an electrifying blue light travelling in his direction. It hit some OZ soldiers behind him and they vanished. Treize smiled.

" Hello there."

" Treize Khushrenada," Heero growled.

" I must say I am very, very surprised to see that you boys have mastered the Gundam Magic. It is an eye-opening experience for me."

" Is there you only? Where is Zechs?"

" I don't know."

" You don't know?"

" Why don't you make a guess?"

Heero frowned. And a thought struck him. No, it can't be…They were tricked!

" Figure it out, yes?" Treize said and he continued to smile in his own charming manner. This man can be rather sickening.

" Scoundrel," Heero hissed at him.

" So what are you going to do now?"

" Kill you!" someone shouted from Treize's back. Treize turned round to see Duo with his Twin-beam Scythe posed high above his head. Still, he continued to smile. Duo's spiritual weapon cut into him, or seemed to, because suddenly he was no longer there. An amused laughter rang out and the two boys shifted their attention to the right. Treize materialized out of nowhere with that smile still adhered to his smooth face.

" What are you standing around here for, Heero? Why didn't you kill him?" Duo demanded.

" EverlastVille is under attack," he answered.

" What?!"

" It is true," Treize cut in. " We call this killing-two-birds-with-one-stone. You boys have a lot to learn."

Duo boiled with hatred, his cobalt blue eyes flashed irefully at Treize, body trembling. His deadly scythe glowed even brighter as he clutched it tighter. He swallowed once, twice, but it did little to contain his anger.

"Duo," Heero said. " Take care of this guy for me."

" Where are you going?"

" Home."

" I'll go with you!"

" No! I can do it by myself."

" But – "

" Trust me."

" – Ok."

Heero turned and ran off. The other three were too absorbed in battle to notice his departure. Duo faced Treize. " Now where were we?"

" Trying to kill you," Treize answered and fired a spell.


	9. Chapter 9

           _Chapter Nine          _

" Hurry up! Hurry all of you!" The vice-principal yelled to the students as she tried her very best to usher all the girls into one of the underground shelters.

" Where is Miss Po?" Relena asked.

" I don't know, I haven't see her since we left the hall," Catherine said.

Catherine, Relena and Hilde were all ushered down the stuffy, dull underground room. Besides the students, many of the women folk were already down there, all wearing worried frowns. The shelter was dimly lighted by some electric lamps and the air smelled of sweat and dust. Hilde coughed. Somewhere, a baby wailed, sending faint echoes into the girls' ears. A few muttered softly among themselves, terrified by the sudden turn of events. The three sat down gingerly on the rough ground. The vice-principal shut the heavy stone door, leaving the girls in darkness until their eyes became adjusted to the dark. 

No one spoke. They just stared ahead at the old, hard wall. Then, an electric lamp was passed to them with the stern instructions of  " use it only when necessary." Relena could feel the warmth that Hilde seemed to be radiating. She took a deep breath and said, " Hilde?"

" Yes?"

" Tell me why."

" Why what?"

" Why you were in that organization."

There was a pause.

 " It wasn't my wish to be there," she whispered poignantly. " After my parents passed away, I was sent to live with a distant uncle. It wasn't until I arrived that I saw to my amazement that he was actually an OZ officer. He took good care of me and taught me a lot about magic. He told me about OZ, the vision this 'master' has about uniting the world. Though I was young, I could see the danger behind it all. This 'master' is an extremely cunning and devious person. Unfortunately, he is also charismatic. So I had a quarrel with my uncle about this and in order to make me change my mind, he forced me to join OZ as a soldier, hoping that I would be able to see things in a different light. But I was not able to and so I ran away to here, EverlastVille, and met the two of you. That's my story."

" Oh Hilde," Catherine said and took her hand. " I'm so sorry to hear that."

" Don't be. It'll only make me feel bad. I didn't mention that I was in OZ because it hurts a lot."

" That means you know about Treize and Zechs long before?" Relena asked.

" Actually I have only heard of them but never met them."

" What about your uncle?" 

" I don't know. Maybe he passed away. He has an illness, you know, and so they never send him on any special operations. Perhaps that is why he thinks OZ is so good – he has never seen them in action before. But he was a loyal man."

Relena and Catherine placed their arms around Hilde and hugged her. She relaxed under their protection. The baby's wails had subsided and was replaced by the choking sounds of a girl diagonally across her. The girl sat huddled against the wall, trying to swallow her fears but it kept coming out in the form of tears. A teacher was comforting her, or trying to. 

Hilde recognized the girl as one of Dorothy's friend. She was not fond of Dorothy. That blonde girl loved wars and fighting. She and Relena once had a debate about war and peace during a school assembly and she was very enthusiastic about troubling times. That girl sent shivers down her spine. And it isn't just that twin eyebrows she possessed. Speaking of Dorothy, Hilde had not seen her since they left the school hall. Where is she? As soon as she asked herself this question, she realized the answer. It was so obvious.

Suddenly, Hilde knew what she must do. " Relena, Catherine, I want to fight. What about you?"

" Huh? What do you mean?" asked Catherine.

" I want to fight against OZ to protect the people. Will you fight with me?"

 " Are you crazy Hilde?" said Relena. "You'll get yourself killed!"

" I don't care. OZ must be punished," Hilde said stubbornly and she got up.

" Hilde!" Relena grabbed her wrist but Hilde shook her away and headed up for the stone door.

" Hilde Schbeiker, what are you doing?!" The vice-principal exclaimed as Hilde pushed open the door and ran out. Catherine and Relena cried out for her but she did not stop and so they chased after her to the further dismay of the VP. But there was nothing she can do for she still has hundreds of girls to protect.

***********************************************************

Duo leapt out of the way of Treize's spell. " Flying Bat!" Duo aimed his arm at Treize with a closed fist and then open it such that the tip of his fingers were facing Treize. A bat-like shape escaped from his hand and flew straight at Treize. Treize countered it with a mighty Thunder-Ball Vibration. When the smoke cleared, he was gone. 

" Come out you coward!" Duo hollered. Feeling an oppressive presence, he whirled round to see ten OZ soldiers charging at him. Reinforcements has arrived. With a shout, he sliced them up with his Twin-Beam Scythe. Duo glanced over at his mates. They were doing well but how long can the four of them keep up? Four against countless of OZ lunatics. They are only humans. And Heero, can he handle it by himself? The quicker they settle this, the quicker they will be able to join Heero. 

Treize hovered above the battlefield, admiring it. The struggle for life…ah, this is so beautiful, this is just the attitude humans should have. Not like all these lifeless MD soldiers. That's right, MD, Mobile Dolls, as the Master called them. These things are only puppets. He resented it but there was little he can do since he needed it to help him with this round. That's right, this round. These boys will have more future meetings with him, now that they have successfully mastered the Gundam Magic. He was deeply impressed by their prowess and could not wait for the next round.

***********************************************************

Dorothy stood outside the fence of Gundam Boys' School of Magic watching Mr J organizing the troops. She smiled widely, exhilarated. At last! War has arrived! She wondered if her relative, Treize K, would be there. They were distant relatives, cousins or something she could not remember, but she admired him all the same. She had met him once two years ago in a café and had recognized him immediately although they have never met before. The two of them had had a short chat. She had tailed him to OZ without his knowledge. 

" War…" Dorothy said to herself. " You are so beautiful. I love you."

"…Is that understood? All right, make a move!" Mr J said to the men and they hurriedly rushed off to prepare. Hilde ran up to him.

" Mr J, let me fight with you!" 

" Pardon?"

" I want to fight those morons!"

" Hilde!" Relena called from behind. She and Catherine had finally caught up with her. " Hilde, come back with us. You are being silly."

" I am not silly!" she protested fiercely. " I want to fight, it is what I must do as a citizen of Magic Town, EverlastVille. I know OZ, I can help all of you fight against them."

G came up to Mr J from his back. " OZ has arrived!"

" They are quick!" he said. " Everyone! OZ is here! Get ready! Hurry up! Are the kids gone?"

" Everyone of them."

" Good. Hilde, you go back. I can't risk losing such a nice girl. Listen to Relena."

" No!" A tear trickled down her right cheek. " I have a belief – if you can fight, fight. OZ is going to destroy my home and I'm not going to sit around doing nothing. Duo and the others are off somewhere else fighting for us too. I want to do something for them. Please, let me fight."

Mr J stared at her. " …You will be the backup at the back of the town. We do not know for sure which side they will come from. Move it!"

" Thank you, Mr J!" Hilde turned and dashed off to her appointed position. Mr J and G trotted off in another direction.

" What do we do Relena?" Catherine asked in a worried tone.

" Follow Hilde. I want to make sure she doesn't get herself killed."

Dorothy observed all these from a distant away, wearing a smile on her lips. She turned around abruptly and followed behind Relena.

" J, regarding one of the Gundam tablets, Wing Zero, I need to tell you something about it," G said to his friend.

" What?"

" Last night I was searching the books to find more information about OZ. By chance, I found something interesting about Wing Zero…Have you heard of the Zero System?"

J looked at him. " Zero System? Why, of course, it is rumoured that this system could enhance a person's magical abilities but there is a danger to it. It can only be found in two tablets, I don't remember which two…" he trailed off. " You don't mean that Wing Zero has it, do you?"

" That is what I mean," G said frankly.

" Shit."

***********************************************************

" Shield!" Quatre said as he drew out his hands to provide cover for himself. " Elements of Nature – Water!" As his Elements of Nature spell was now released under the magic of his Gundam _Sandrock tablet, it became more powerful than usual. A large spray of water was Quatre's answer to the lightning spell thrown into his direction by two OZ soldiers. Upon being touched with water, a great electric current passed through the bodies of the two bad guys, killing them. _

Quatre wiped the sweat away from his brows. He has started to pant and he knew that if they do not get rid of these lifeless soldiers soon, it would get rid of them. He glanced around and spotted Treize in the air. Before he could react, five OZ soldiers had already surrounded him. 

Wufei noticed that Heero was missing. Where had that boy gone? Could he have chicken out? No, Heero does not admit defeat easily. Uneasiness built in him. Something did not feel right. Wufei did not know where he got this feeling from but ever since he possessed Gundam _Shenlong_, his senses have became more acute, subtle. Also, he seemed to have gained a sixth sense. He could feel things he had never felt before. This was scary, as well as thrilling. With a yell, he produced a Twin-Beam Trident, his magical weapon, and swung it round wildly. He must let these fools know not to fool around with a true warrior. He felt like Nataku, a Chinese god who too fought for the justice of the people.

As Trowa fought, he watched. He now knew that everyone with a Gundam tablet has a spiritual weapon, something that can make the fight more personal, more primitive, like their ancestors in the early stage when they created and divided the magical realms. Magical weapons were special then, even more holy than the spells they wielded. So what was his weapon? An army knife, his tablet told him. This was not impressive, since his _Heavyarms _was based more on spells and that was to his forte. He held out his left arm. " Gatling Guns!" A long, greenish light glowed and a dark red coloured machine-gun appeared. 

Trowa wondered why Gundam Magic is so closely related to the weapons people on earth used in battles and fights. Maybe because the words behind his _Heavyarms, A Debt of Blood,_ refers to power and that power means fighting? He aimed his Gatling Guns with a silent face.

" Everyone!" Duo called to them as they got nearer to one another. " Treize tricked us! He has another troop invading EverlastVille! His main intention is to lure us away from EverlastVille and attack it! Heero has gone back and we must join him quickly!"

" What?" Quatre said in astonishment. " You mean he didn't want to attack Dragon Land?"

" I think he wants EverlastVille more," Duo replied grimly. 

" Or he wants us dead," Wufei added. 

***********************************************************

OZ marched towards Magic Town with Zechs in the lead. The citizens in there were ready and a line of young men stood at the gate in defense of their hometown. With a motion of his forefinger, the OZ soldiers attacked. Zechs watched as the men and OZ met in a head-on clash of magic, wooden sticks and daggers. With a grin, he vanished and reappeared in an empty street inside the town. 

Hilde waited tensely along with other the back-ups at the back of town. The back-ups were mostly middle-aged men and some teenage boys who were keen on protecting their home. Relena and Catherine were beside her, hardly breathing. They were there to watch over her, making sure she does not get herself killed. Hilde almost laughed. She's a strong fighter, she will not die. Relena should be worried about herself. In terms of magical abilities, she was the weakest among the three of them, in fact, one of the weakest in the whole school. It was her theory exams that kept her in the passing range. For Hilde, it was the exact opposite. 

A boy ran up to them. " OZ has attacked! They are at the front! They are sending another group from the back!" A double-attack, Hilde thought with anger. They knew that Magic Town though strong in magic has a rather small population. OZ intended to get rid of them quick and thus the sending of two forces. 

" Get ready!" a bespectacled man shouted in a deep voice. The gate was closed and protected by magic but Hilde knew it would not hold OZ out for long. True enough, a thunderous explosion occurred a short while later and both sides charged. The back-ups stood at the back, firing spells at any OZ soldiers that managed to bypass the front line. 

Relena and Catherine were drawn into the battle too. These OZ soldiers that were hit fell onto the ground bleeding, unlike those MD that the five boys were fighting against. These soldiers were real. They have life and blood, and Noin was leading them.

" Heat-Punch!" Hilde cried as she generated her fists with a radiant heat and punched the enemies. She was soon separated from Catherine and Relena. Noin appeared in front of her out of nowhere and sent a roundhouse kick onto her cheek and a simultaneous rain of yellowish Glow-Palms at the people. Glow-Palms differed from Heat-Punch in the sense that the heat generated was of a different colour. Other than that, both spells are the same and the intensity of the heat depends on the user. Heat-Punch is used generally as an attacking magic while Glow-Palms is more on the defensive side. For Noin's case, her Glow-Palms served both purposes.

Catching Noin unaware, Hilde threw herself at her and both fell onto the dusty ground. Immediately, Noin threw a Thunder-Ball Vibration at her. Hilde ducked aside and countered back with a fire spell. Noin did a somersault high over Hilde's head and landed behind her, promptly delivering a high-flying kick onto the girl. Hilde lost her balance and fell but managed to roll away just in time to avoid Noin's magic spell.

Relena fought for a while, until she killed someone. She did not mean to. It was an accident. She had seen this soldier rushing at her, seeing her as an easy prey to kill. Relena had been trying to avoid killing anyone, merely driving them back with small, innocuous spells. This soldier threw a powerful lightning magic at her. She could not dodge and in her fright, she released a much more threatening spell in his direction. Fear allows you to do things you may regret. It takes control of your mind and you lose all rational thoughts. You become a desperado, ready to try anything. That happened to Relena. 

In her fear, she killed him.

Relena could not fathom what had just happened. She just stared at the dead soldier, panting, sweat trickling down her face, fingers cold. Her whole body felt numb_. What have I done, she thought. Slowly, realization came to her. _I have killed a man, I have killed a man._ These words rang in her, running throughout her soul, circulating in her mind, reverberating in the air. Panic seized her and her heart thumped faster. _

_Oh my god! Oh lord, no! Relena screamed silently. __What must I do? What do I do now? I don't know…I really don't know…_

Relena covered her ears angrily and knelt down, right in the middle of the battle. _Stop, please stop, stop everything! Why are we fighting? Tell me why? Why must people, human race fight over silly matters? Can't they be contented with what they have? Why must I kill him? He has a life too. Perhaps his wife and children are waiting for him to come home in triumph, safe and sound. Maybe he has an old mother to take care of, maybe he has a handicapped brother to look after, maybe his girlfriend is waiting for him, or maybe he is an orphan with no family, but he must have friends, friends who care about him…_

Relena started sobbing, fat tears raining down her cheeks. This is wrong, she has done wrong, OZ is wrong, everyone is wrong…But who is right? Peace…Only with peace can all of this be repelled. This meaningless and stupid fighting…This is murder. 

_God! Relena cried in her heart. _I have killed someone! I have killed a man! I_ _have taken a life away! This is all my fault! Someone help me! I'm in pain, I can't breath…_Relena clutched her throat, as if strangling herself. Hilde, who happened to turn in her direction, witnessed her strange behaviour. _

" Relena! Relena, get up! What are you doing?" 

An OZ soldier heard this and with a smirk, aimed a spell in Relena's way. 

" Relena!" yelled her friend. " Look out!" She was too far away to get to her in time. Relena stayed fixed on the ground, shaking her head, body numb. She did not notice the danger in front of her, did not hear Hilde screaming for her attention. But somehow, some instinct forced her to look up and she saw it. However, it was too late. She could not dodge, and she did not want to.

" Relena!" Hilde screamed.

A dark figure dashed out of nowhere and planted himself in front of Relena. He fired a spell back at the fast approaching one, swallowing it up and also the soldier. Relena stared at the familiar back of her saviour. Heero.

Heero turned round to meet Relena's eyes. Something is wrong with her, his senses told him. This girl, this trembling kitten, something has happened to her. " Stay where you are," he told her. " I'll kill them all."

_No…Relena mouthed the word but no sound came out. She could only watched as Heero activated his Gundam _Wing Zero_ Magic and began on a killing spree._

When Heero killed the OZ soldier that was attacking Relena, he was shocked to find that this soldier was real, not lifeless like the ones they had fought in Dragon Land. But this stunned expression did not show in his face. He remained calm. _Whatever it is, they are the enemies, he told himself_. My job is to destroy them. That white lady had once told me that I am to stay here to protect all the magical realms. The white lady…why am I thinking of her all of a sudden?__

And he saw it. 

He saw Relena standing in front of him, arms outstretched, releasing a lightning spell. But it was too late to stop himself, to collect back his Twin-Beam Buster Rifle spell. The strong beam enveloped Relena, killing her instantly. When the smoke cleared, he saw to his amazement that it was not Relena but a bunch of OZ soldiers, now dead on the hard ground. He spun back to see Relena still kneeling in the same position.  

_What, what just happened?… _

With a new group of OZ soldiers charging at him, he had no time to think. _They are going to surround me and fire spells at me simultaneously, trapping me…_his mind told him. Heero was surprised. How can he know all this? How can he know what they are going to do to him? _Kill them…_said his mind. And so he did, finishing them all with another Twin-Beam Buster Rifle_._  

And he saw it again, yet another illusion. He saw Zechs and Treize laughing at him, pointing their fingers and sneering at him. Then, they vanished as quickly as they had appeared before him. _Behind you_, his mind told him. Heero turned and true enough, there they are. He hated being laughed at. 

With a shout, he called upon his Beam Saber,his spiritual weapon,_ and flew straight at them, pushing the saber into their stomachs. He _flew,_ he really flew at them. He was in the air, like a bird. Treize and Zechs changed into two OZ soldiers. _Strange…It seems that whatever I am thinking is presented as an illusion to me. Why? How come? And this strength, I have never felt so powerful before! Just now, at Dragon Land, I did not have this feeling. How come? Why now? Funny…__

Heero stared laughing. He just laughed and laughed for no apparent reason. He just felt like laughing! " Kill them all, kill all my enemies," he muttered to himself. His feet lifted off the ground, and he flew at the enemies with only one desire.

To kill.


	10. Chapter 10

_ Chapter Ten_

" Magic Town," Zechs said to himself. " You are indeed beautiful. But I'm sorry, I'm sorry I have to do this. I'm sorry, Father…" Without another word, he burned the buildings and trees. Zechs turned his back on the fiery scene and walked away. His father, the deceased king of the once great Magic Kingdom, was murdered because of his beliefs. These magical realms – EverlastVille, Waterworld, Paradise and Garden Realm were all directly involved with the death of his father and the fall of his realm. To avenge him and his realm, he joined OZ. His father was a man who valued peace and his doings were totally against his teachings. But this painful hatred in his heart…he has to get rid of it and there is no way to pull it out other than to take revenge. 

What had happened was already history and he did not want to think about it anymore. _Though Magic Kingdom is now recovering, and my revenge is nearly done, with only EverlastVille to go, I cannot return back, Zechs thought._ My hands are stained with too much blood and I no longer qualify for the throne. Only her, only she can rule it and bring glory to our realm once more. __

_Sister…where are you?_

************************************************************

Dorothy watched Relena, shaking her head. Such a weak girl! But that Heero boy, oh is he strong! In war, only the strong thrives. But where are the rest of his friends? _Oh, this is so exciting! Dorothy was shaking with excitement._

She ran to Relena. " Relena! Get up and come with me."

Relena merely stared at her. " Dorothy…"

" Come on! Come with me!"

Dorothy pulled her to her feet and half-dragged her away from the battle zone to a safe corner. " Relena, you need to buck up!" Dorothy said to her.

" I…"

" I what? It's no big deal killing someone in a war. If you did not kill that soldier, he will kill you! This is just the way war is."

Relena shook her head. " No…no! This is too cruel! This is murder! I murdered someone!"

Anyone could see that Relena was on the verge of hysteria. To wake her up, Dorothy had no choice but to give her one tight slap. " Wake up Relena! Look around you, look at everyone! Everyone is killing each other and they aren't crying like you! I repeat, this is war and war is all about killing and winning! No one bothers who you kill as long as they win! I thought you were a very strong girl, but I was wrong. You are such a disappointment to all of us."

Relena's left cheek was pink from the slap. _Weak…I'm a weak person…_

Dorothy continued, " I know you are very upset. You realize that war is wrong but realizing isn't enough. You should do something."

" I should do something?" 

" Yes. You should make the others realize the horrors of war. Once they comprehend this, all these would stop."

" But how? I am only a student."

" A very charismatic student you are. You can talk. I'm sure besides you there are a whole lot of people who are against wars. You can be their leader and lead them! Just think! How noble you'll look! Everyone will look up to you!" Dorothy gushed. She was not comforting Relena. She was merely immersed in her own daydreams. She could imagine Relena leading a whole lot of people, protesting against OZ. Oh! How impressive this will look and how very, very thrilling!

Relena was not a foolish girl. She could see the castle her schoolmate was building in the clouds. She knew Dorothy only too well. Ironically, that was what brought Relena back to her former self.

" You're crazy," she said.

Dorothy paused. " Not as crazy as you are."

" You are the one who needs waking up." With that, she turned her back and ran off, back to the battle zone.

" Retreat!" Noin yelled as soon as she saw the thick haze of smoke in the distant. This was Zechs' signal for them to leave and proceed on. Immediately, the OZ army retreated hastily, leaving the citizens of Magic Town in bewilderment. What's the matter? Why the sudden retreat? 

" Fire!" someone cried and all of them turned to see the smoke curling up into the sky, threatening to burn down the entire town. Quickly, the few surviving ones rushed to put out the fire, including Hilde and Catherine. Heero did not go along. He knew that Magic Town was doomed and that OZ had won. For now. 

Relena returned. " Heero! Heero, are you okay?"

Heero turned to face her. She was shocked to find his face cold and expressionless, not like someone who has just come out of a battle. " Are you okay?" she repeated her question.

" Miss Une has joined OZ," he told her unexpectedly. 

" What?"

" She is now under Treize."

" No, it can't be! Miss Une is a good woman, she can't have joined OZ. They must have forced her, put a spell on her."

" The fact is we all saw her on OZ side. She even tried to kill us. Trowa has dealt with her."

" You mean he killed her?!" she gasped.

" No."

" What are you going to do now?"

" Eliminate OZ." He began to walk away.

" Heero – "

" Whatever happened to you just now, I hope you are all right now. Tell the others I'll be staying here to deal with OZ. We need to change our strategy if we want to win."

" Where are you going?" But he did not answer her.

She watched him till he disappeared from sight. " Heero, please come back safe and sound."

" Elements of Nature – Water!" Hilde said and a huge spray of water splashed onto a burning shop. However, the fire was spreading too fast for them to bring it under control. Even though everyone, including those who were previously hiding underground, tried their very best to put it out, they knew that Magic Town was finished. 

" Quick! Spray these buildings with water before the fire gets it! At least, we can save a few!" a familiar voice directed them. Hilde turned. 

" Miss Po!"

" Talk later," Sally Po chided her.  She was dressed in a green and brown army-like attire. She must have left them just now to change into this. " Put out the fire first!"

" Where have you been?"

" Fighting those OZ soldiers at the front. I must say they are really smart."

Catherine ran up to join them. " Hilde!"

" Catherine!"

" Have you seen Relena?" 

" No, I thought she was with you."

Both girls stared at each other for a brief moment before they spun round and headed back to the other side of the town. " Was that Miss Po?" asked Catherine. " I was so busy asking about Relena that I didn't notice her well just now."

" Yes. She was fighting against OZ too."

" I wonder how the boys are."

" Yeah, I wonder too."

Mr J and his four friends arrived at the scene. Miss Po acknowledged their arrival with a curt nod.

" I have informed the military of our plight and send them the latest information. Hopefully, they will develop a strategy soon to stop OZ. EverlastVille is one of the biggest magical realm around, it will take them some time to bring us down, though I hope this will not be the outcome," said Mr J with a sigh. " All right, now to stop this fire."

G interrupted, " Did anyone consider a rain spell?"

Miss Po brightened up. " A rain spell! Why didn't I think of that?"

" We are going to have a big one. Stand back people!"

************************************************************

Over at Dragon Land, the four boys finally managed to eliminate all of the MD soldiers. Treize was nowhere to be found – he had escaped. Exhausted, all collapsed onto the ground. 

" So," Duo began. " When do we make our way back to Magic Town?"

" Now," Quatre answered.

************************************************************

The fire was finally put out. The whole town was relieved, as well as sorrowful. Magic Town, their home, was ruined. It was gone. Everything they had treasured has vanished in the fire and the attack. Some could not help but cry. Others shook their heads in despair. Even more vowed revenge. But how to take revenge when they have lost all? They could only swallow the burning anger in them. The dead bodies of the citizens were moved to a side to be buried later. Those of OZ's – burn.

Sally Po took it all in, mouth set in a thin, stubborn line. _OZ…_She turned her head to a side. In the distant, four tiny figures ran towards the dilapidated town. They grew bigger and bigger and bigger. She strained to see who they are. Relena, Hilde and Catherine were all doing the same thing.

" It's them!" Catherine exclaimed in excitement. " It's the boys! Trowa!"

" Hey!" shouted Duo, waving a hand. " Hey!"

The four came into clear view and Catherine rushed forward to welcome her little brother back with a quick hug. In her heart, he will always be a five-year-old boy who needs her care. Wufei raised an eyebrow. Behind the young women were the five professors. The boys stared at the town, each thinking his own thoughts.

" Where's Heero?" Mr J asked them.

There was a pause. " You mean you didn't see him?" Duo questioned back. 

" Why? Is he here?"

" He left Dragon Land earlier than us after he see through OZ's plot. He came back here to fight them off. We can't leave 'cause those idiots kept bringing in reinforcements. We just finish them off."

" Looks like you all need more practice," O commented.

" Don't worry. We only need warming up. It has been some years since we were involved in a battle," Wufei said.

" So where is Heero?" asked Qautre, bringing them back to the original question. " Has anyone seen him?"

" I have," Relena answered softly. 

" So where is he now?" Mr J said anxiously. " I've got something very important to tell him."

" He saved me from an OZ soldier just now, at the back of the town. He fought against them, fiercely. I-I was frightened. And he just went on fighting. He was powerful," she said, feeling somewhat dizzy. " Then he left, after Noin and her troop retreated. He said he would continue to stay here and fight them. He said he would protect us. And he wants the four of you to change your strategy if all of you want to win OZ."

" You mean that flying stranger I saw just now was Heero?" Hilde uttered in disbelief. " He was awesome."

" And he didn't even discuss it with us!" said Duo, shaking his head. " That's just like him, always on his own."

" I think he means we should divide ourselves," Trowa said.

" I think it's the best. With five of us at five different places to intercept, I think we can force a hasty retreat on OZ even quicker," Wufei nodded in agreement.

" Is it such a good idea?" Quatre asked, worried. " You think we should find Heero first?"

" Not to worry," Duo assured him. " I'll stay here and look for him. Who knows what that fathead may try to do? I won't be surprise if he tries to commit suicide."

The look on the five professors' faces caused a sudden sense of panic in Relena. " Mr J, Professors, is anything the matter? Is it about Heero?"

" As a matter of fact, yes. I need to talk to him about the Zero System in his tablet," Mr J told her.

" The Zero System?" all repeated the strange word. 

" What is it?" Quatre asked.

And so in one whole breath, Mr J explained the dangerous system. The others listened in awe, captivated by the power of it all. " …But it is highly dangerous and can even endanger his life. So I need to find him and talk to him soon and advice him how to conquer the system and not be fooled by it. Duo, can you help me?"

" Sure, no problem."

Quatre caught sight of the dead bodies. " Those bodies…" Everyone turned. " Those bodies, are they OZ soldiers?"

" Yes," Hilde said.

" They are real people?" This question does not sound right to him. " I mean, they were real humans?"

" Yes," Hilde said again. 

The four boys were confused. " In Dragon Land, the soldiers we fought against were lifeless. But they are powerful nonetheless," Duo explained. " You mean they have real ones too?"

" Those lifeless soldiers are called MD, Mobile Dolls. Under a certain person's control, they can be brought to life. Their strengths are on par with an average OZ human soldier but they have a higher threshold for pain and so can fight for a longer period of time. In other words, they can fight and fight as long as they are not destroyed. That's the main difference between a real one and a MD."

" Eh, how come you know so much?" Duo asked. Hilde did not answer him.

Seeing her in an awkward position, Relena hurriedly said, " Duo, Mr J, you must find Heero soon."

" Not to worry," the principal of Gundam Boys' School of Magic replied. " One Gundam tablet can trace another Gundam tablet. By using Duo's, he will be found in no time." _I hope, he silently added._

" So we'll be separating from here," said Wufei.

There was a brief silence. " We will take revenge on OZ!" Duo vowed. " For everyone who sacrificed their lives and every innocent thing, we, the Gundam Guardians, vow to take OZ down!"

" That's the spirit!" Hilde agreed.

" We take our leave," Qautre said bravely, hiding his uneasiness behind a quiet smile.

Catherine wanted her brother to stay but could not. She knew she cannot make him stay. This is his duty, his scared mission, what he had come to EverlastVille for. The time has arrived. " Trowa, promise me you will stay alive. If you die, I'll never forgive you."

He did not answer her, but merely nodded. He had long prepared to die but he must not tell her this.

" Go, go. But come back soon. Meanwhile, we will try to rebuild this town for you and everyone," G said to them. 

The four boys regarded one another for a moment. " Don't tell me where you are going," Duo grinned. " Let me have the element of surprise."

" Right," Wufei grinned back. 

" Bye," Quatre said. 

The three vanished in another blinding light, this time each heading a different place. Hilde could not help thinking they were attending one funeral after another, all in such a short time. Miss Po, who has not been saying a word to all these, now said, " Mr J, get the girls a new principal. I quit." She began to walk away.

" Wait. Where are you going?" 

" You need not know. I am not cut out to be a principal anyway. I just apply for the job because it was my wish to see who are the chosen Gundam boys."

" But where can I get another principal to lead the girls?"

" How about Relena? She is matured enough. And all the girls look up to her. See you."

" Miss Po!" Relena shouted after her. 

" The battle has begun," a new voice said to the remaining group. It was Dorothy. " And all of these tragedies are only the beginning of a long, long marathon."


	11. Chapter 11

              Chapter Eleven

" Une, are you all right?" Treize asked, his voice filled with concern. They had returned to the headquarters of OZ and Une was brought to the sick bay. 

" Thank you for your concern, Mr Treize, sir. I-I was too careless. It completely slipped my mind that they had mastered the Gundam Magic." Une hung her head in shame. 

" My Lady Une, you need not feel ashamed. We all make mistakes. Didn't I tell you to address me as Treize, and not Mr Treize? Remember that."

" Yes."

" Master has asked to see you tomorrow morning at nine. Wait in the hall for me. I have sent Zechs and Noin to bring down the central part of EverlastVille. That is where most of the people lived. It would be a bloody battle between them and the boys. Meanwhile, my troops are assembled at Dragon Land. You will head there two days later, after your condition has stabilized. Sorry I couldn't give you a longer resting period but we are in the middle of a war and time is precious."

" I understand this very well."

" I know you would understand. You have always understood me." Treize smiled at her. Une could feel her face getting hotter and her temperature rising.

" Uh, regarding my meeting with Master tomorrow, may I ask why he would like to see me?"

" Because you are an interesting person. Master loves anything interesting, he had said so himself."

***************************************************************

" You are a very elusive boy, Heero."

Heero looked up to see the source of the voice. It was Mr J and Duo. With the help of Duo's _Deathscythe tablet, they had managed to track him down. Heero had set up a temporary shelter at an ancient cave, a little distant away from the populated central area. _

No one dares to enter the cave because of a rumour concerning a vengeful ghost. But rumours are rumours and this one turned out to be a false one. He knew OZ would attack any moment now and unless they have decided to fly, the only way to enter into the central part was to pass by a road that was directly behind this cave. He can try to intercept them from there.

" You think perhaps you could discuss with us first before taking off by yourself, eh Heero?" Duo said. 

Heero rose from his cross-legged position. He has been studying and practicing his tablet. " What are you doing here?" he questioned.

" I'm here to talk to you about your _Wing Zero_ tablet," J told him. " I'm sure by now you have discovered the Zero System?"

" So that is called the Zero System?"

" Right. _Wing Zero tablet was the very first tablet WindSong created. As to how she had created the Zero System, nobody knows. But she came up with this system because she wanted to have a powerful sorcerer, one who could beat her. Did I mention that she was one of the greatest sorceresses of the time whose powers can be considered unbeatable? It is lonely being at the top no doubt, especially when you are left all alone in this world and has nothing to do except to keep perfecting your magical skills."_

" She was hoping to lose so that she might find her lost soul back," Heero said suddenly, his eyes softening.

" Perhaps. After all, only one lonely eagle can understand the other." J studied his pupil for a while before continuing. " Using the Zero System, she found out that although it has the potential to beat her, it has a very dangerous side affect. When activated, the system can actually allow you to see and predict correctly your enemy's next attack. This message will be send directly to your brain. In other words, you will be directly affected. While it is in use, you yourself have to remain calm and your mind free. You must only focus on the battle and whatever it is you are trying to achieve. If not, you will see illusions. At this stage, the system together with the tablet will try to take control of you and make you do whatever it wishes. You will eventually lose your sanity and never recover from it. That is why WindSong did not have it in the other Gundam tablets. However, her disciples managed to create another Zero System and have it install in a Gundam tablet called Epyon. But that is another story."

" You mean the system is alive?" Heero said.

" In a way, yes. You are the one who gives it life."

" So did WindSong lose?"

" No one knows. But it is written in a book that she admits it has the potential to defeat her."

Duo whistled. " Wow. You didn't tell us this much the other time."

Mr J coughed. " Ahem, I wasn't obliged to. Heero, I am here to help you overcome it."

" I was doing it myself," he replied steadily.

" Still, this system is not to be toyed with. With proper guidance, you can do it even better. I have faith in you and your intelligence."

" While you two are at it, I'll help keep watch and everything. You can't be too careful at a time like this," Duo said.

" Good," J said with a smile. " I am counting on you to find us food and firewood and other stuff."

" Hey, I'm no cheap labour!" 

" No choice. I have no money now to pay you."

" How about an IOU?" Duo suggested.

" You owe me? Well, talk about not doing anything and getting paid for it!"

" Mr J!"

" Can we start now?" Heero asked with a tinge of exasperation.

***************************************************************

Noin knocked twice on the door of Zech's office. Well, his temporary office. They had taken over a huge mansion and set it up as their base. This was no ordinary mansion. It belonged to the younger brother of the late King of EverlastVille, Howard. Zechs had taken it partly as a form of revenge. Also, it helps to keep their enemies at bay since no one would dare to destroy the home of the late king's brother, not when he is in their hands.

" Come in," Zech's stentorian voice called out.

Lucrezia Noin entered. " I have brought you your dinner."

" Put it down," he said, not even looking up at her from his papers. _Not even a word of thank you,_ Noin thought in disappointment. She waited for a few seconds.

" Don't you want to eat now? The food will get cold."

" I'm busy. Is there anything else?"

" No." He wanted her to leave the room. So she did.

" Miss Noin," two OZ soldiers saluted her as she came out of the room.

" Check to see if Mr Howard has his dinner," she ordered them.

" Yes." They marched away briskly. Noin walked away in another direction, her head low. She went back to her room, shut the door and stared at the furnishing in it. It was a simple room with a canopy bed, brown desk, wardrobe and lamp. Except for the bed, which Noin guessed was new, all the others looked old with age. 

Zechs, why is Zechs so cold towards her? Perhaps he could at least say thanks? Noin shook her head._ Why should this bother me? Isn't he always like this? What matters right now to him is revenge and upholding his duty as one of the best OZ officers. He has no other matters in mind._

_Zechs, do you know my feelings for you? I tried to tell you once but you gave me the impression that you only will treat me like a fellow colleague and that's it. _

Noin crossed the room and pushed the heavy red curtains aside. The sun was setting, and the sky was splashed with brilliant colours of soft pink and subtle violet against a golden background. Tall ancient trees rose high up, as if trying to reach for the now visible evening stars. _But whatever it is, I will always stay by your side. Nevermind if you do not like me, I am happy as long as I can stay by your side._

The door knocked. Noin opened it. 

" Miss Noin, the prisoner refuse to eat," a soldier informed her.

" Is it? This I have to see."

" So the dog is here," Howard taunted as Noin enter the cellar. He was tightly bound up and his gag was removed for him to eat and drink. A thin-looking man with a receding hairline and a fondness for wearing sunglasses, he did not appear to Noin like a royalty. Even his dressing was incongruous; a colourful shirt of red and green patterned with palm trees and grey long pants. Unlike his brother, Howard was not well versed in magic. Instead, his forte lies in books and knowledge.

Noin ignored his remark. " I heard that you wouldn't eat."

" So you've heard," he replied with thick sarcasm. 

" If you fall ill, I'm not going to be responsible."

" No you won't. You are not my mother."

Noin frowned at him. " I have ways to make you eat, Mr Howard."

" You won't dare. If anything happens to me, you won't get away with it either."

Noin struggled to maintain her cool. This man was more annoying than she thought. 

" Mr Howard," she replied after she was sure that her voice would not shake. " Please corporate with us. Yes, we won't hurt you but if you keep testing our patience, I'm afraid I would not be able to guarantee your well-being. You will not die, of course but have you heard of a fate worse than death? You can shout but no one will respond to you, and neither will anyone come and rescue you. We are very well-prepared."

Howard clenched his teeth in fury. He knew what OZ can do to him but he did not care. What he cared about was the number of innocent lives they have taken and will take. This anger was enough to make him full, but his stomach thought otherwise. It growled. Loudly. In front of an OZ officer. 

Noin gave him a sweet smile. 

" Hungry, sir? How about some rice and a nice hot tea?"

" No," he said adamantly.

" You will need the strength to walk out of here. I won't have bothered with you if Zechs had not told me to take good care of you."

" Zechs? That son of a – "

" How dare you! How dare you talk about him in such a manner!" Noin fumed protectively even before Howard could finish his sentence.

" If he is so good, why join OZ? Didn't he know that it is a cult? He's a fool, that's what he is and so are you!"

" I don't work for OZ, I work for Zechs. I listen to him and not OZ. And he joined OZ because of what you people have done. Do you remember Magic Kingdom?"

" Magic…Kingdom?" Of course he remembered about it. How could he not? 

" He's here for revenge."

Noin turned her heels and trotted out, leaving Howard with a low-post OZ soldier whose task was to feed him. Howard's head spun. _Don't tell me he is…But how? Isn't he dead?_

" Sir, please have some food," the soldier said to him pleadingly. " And don't make Miss Noin angry anymore. She's a good woman."

" Oh? Tell me, young man. Why did you join OZ?"

" Because my father was in it. My whole family serves OZ."

***************************************************************

Back at Magic Town, people were trying to get their lives back to normal again but it was easier said than done. They walked about with gloomy faces and heavy feet, not hearing, not seeing. Brothers, fathers, husbands and sons have been lost and for some, a whole family was gone. To them, war is a life-stealer and nothing else.

The attendance at school dropped drastically, so much so that the Gundam Girls' School of Magic and Gundam Boys' School of Magic have merged. From hundreds of pupils, it has dropped to merely eighty. 

Relena entered into the classroom of forty or so girls. In another classroom, Mr J was conducting a lesson, behaving as if it was any other normal day. Relena took a very, very deep breath and smiled at the girls. Being a principal is not easy, especially if the task is suddenly thrown to you out of the blue.

" Morning everyone," she greeted as cheerfully as she can.

" Morning Miss Relena," they greeted back listlessly, not even attempting to hide their feelings.

Still, for them and everyone, she has to be brave. 

" Please turn to page thirty of your book. Jane, can you read to the class?"

***************************************************************

Une arrived at Dragon Land two days later to find the place in a mess. It was as if a battle had just taken place. " Why is it like this?" she demanded to an officer.

" Miss, Lady Une, we were attacked just now. We have a high rate of casualties and we also lost several MDs. We managed to fend him off after calling in reinforcements."

" Who attacked us?" she growled.

" A – a boy," he answered uneasily. " A boy with hair covering part of his face."

Lady Une paused. " Attend to the causalities. Make sure they get well soon."

" Yes!"

_Trowa Barton_, Une thought. No doubt about his identity. So he's here. She will have to watch out for him and make preparations. The meeting between her and the Master flashed back into her mind, causing her to worry yet again. She had not fully recovered from her injuries. But as soon as she is well, she will start improving her magical skills. 

***************************************************************

Treize had met her in the hall. After giving her a few instructions, he brought her into a secret compartment in a wall. She was slightly startled and this deepened the mystery of Master. She wondered what kind of person he is. 

The passage was dimly lit by lights that were emitted from the smooth walls. Treize walked in front of her, oblivious of the puzzling thoughts shown on her face. The passage seemed endless with twists and turns, giving her a giddy feeling. 

They came to a flight of steps. Following Treize down the stairs, Lady Une could not help wondering the purpose of the secret compartment. Why? Why did Master want to build this compartment? Isn't the headquarters of OZ secretive enough? No one, not even the smartest person in the world could figure out their headquarters!

The stairs ended. Lady Une stared, wonder-struck by the palatial room they were now in. Indeed, if she had not known, she would have thought that they were in a palace, the throne room to be specific. Golden pillars supported the spacious room; soft, faint paintings of flowers, meadows, people and mountains were meticulous painted on the wall; a reflecting golden floor; burning candles embellished the room with a mystique aura; a long white cloth hid the throne chair from view. It was like something out of a fairy tale book.

Treize however was unmoved by all of it. He led her to the centre and bowed ninety degrees. Une followed suit. She could hardly breathe, much less look up when a distorted voice spoke out.

" Treize."

" Master, I have brought to you Lady Une," Treize answered. 

" Rise, both of you. Let me take a good look at our new member."

Lady Une rose slowly. Behind the cloth covering the throne was a dark figure. It was a heavy-looking shape with no head, limbs and body. It appeared to be like a piece of unusual rock. But Une knew it was not a rock – it was an illusion. Master has no wish to let anyone see who he really is. And the voice could be a disguise too.

" My humblest greetings to you, Master," Lady Une said in reverence.

" A fine woman. Such a young, capable woman," Master commented. Une noticed a thin veneer of irony in his voice. Is he mocking her? She shook the thought aside. No, she was just being too suspicious.

" I don't deserve such compliments, Master."

He laughed. " I am never wrong. You must work hard in assisting Treize, Lady Une. You are his subordinate, not mine. Just as Noin is Zechs'. I don't own people. I breed them."

***************************************************************

_I don't own people. I breed them. These words reverberated in her mind. Somehow, she felt disturbed. It was as if Master is trying to create a whole new world, a world that he likes. And he does not care whether others feel the same or not. Though he had clearly stated that he don't own anyone, but to Une, it was like they had already belonged to him, as if they had already given their souls to him, as if they were chess pieces on a black and white chessboard. It was as if he was playing a game._

Once more, Lady Une shoved that ludicrous thoughts aside and concentrated on how to defeat the boys. 

***************************************************************

A thunderous explosion sounded from the left wing of the mansion. Urgent shouts erupted all at once; people hollering instructions; orange flames sprung up; water spells were fired at the burning building. However, the fire did not ceased. Somewhere, someone was watching the fire, making sure it not goes out. And somewhere else, at the right wing, someone had broken into the mansion by simply smashing a window. This intrusion went unseen. Everyone was too busy with putting out the fire.

Some distant away from the mansion, two shadows stood silently in the trees. " You think it's enough?" Mr J asked the grinning boy beside him.

" No, I'm starting to enjoy this," Duo replied, sniggering at the poor OZ soldiers who were trying their best to put out a seemingly never-ending fire.

" We don't want to burn down the building."

" As soon as he is out, we'll stop it. It will take them quite a while to realize what is actually going on." 

Heero did a quick scan of his new surroundings. Nobody was around. They were all busy with the fire. A stairs leading up lay to his right and the kitchen was directly in front of him. After a brief hesitation, he headed towards the kitchen. There were only two places they can hide their prisoner – up in one of the rooms or down in a cellar. A mansion like this is bound to have a cellar, especially when the late king's brother has a taste for wine. In fact, which royalty hasn't got a taste for wine?

Heero peered at the kitchen from the side to ensure that it was empty. His eyes met a pair of unfamiliar grey ones. 

" Who's that?" the man with grey eyes demanded aloud.

Heero cursed himself for being too careless. Without any warning, he jumped at the burly man, who failed to catch him, and knocked him out with a swift chop at the back of his neck. A greenish coloured door was just opposite him. Confident that it was the cellar, he crossed the kitchen and tried the door. It was locked, just as he expected. But no matter.

Howard had earlier on heard a loud explosion from outside and was wondering what it was all about. Is it help? Now, a second explosion occurred, just at his door. He widened his eyes at the thin shape, what appeared to him to be a boy. The smoke cleared and indeed, it is a boy! Shocked and bewildered, Howard continued looking at the stranger.

With nimble fingers, this boy removed the rope and his gag. " Who are you?" Howard gasped.

" If you want to leave this place, follow me," the boy replied flatly.

Dazed and confused still, Howard stumbled after him. No OZ soldiers were around. Both of them left the mansion safely without any trouble. Once out, Howard asked again, " Who are you?"

" My name is Heero Yuy."

" Heero, thank you for saving me."

" I just don't want to attack a house with innocent people inside."

Duo spotted the two of them. " Hey! Over here!" Then he paused. " You are the king's brother?" He turned to Heero for confirmation.

" Hello Howard," J greeted him with a grin.

" J, long time no see," Howard said and extended a hand. The two men shook hands.

" You know each other?" Duo asked.

" We used to have tea together," J answered.

" Yes, and boy did we have a great time!" Howard recalled fondly. " So what do we do now?"

" Burn down the mansion," Heero said.

" I can help you!" Duo said blithely. 

" Go ahead," Howard gave them his permission.

" What?" J sputtered. " But it's your home!"

" One of my homes," his friend corrected him casually. " And it's not my favourite anyway. Burn it down."

" All right! Come on Heero!" Duo responded gleefully. 

" Fire! The house is on fire!" 

Zechs was out of his office, looking around nonchalantly. Noin ran up to him, face looking anxious but still cool and collected. " A fire broke out for no apparent reason. It's too big. We'll have to abandon the mansion," she said quickly.

" Have you tried a water spell?"

" Yes, but it's no use. The fire just gets bigger."

" It's them."

" I thought so too. I think they might be hiding in the trees, setting the fire deliberately."

" Get everyone out. Abandon this place."

" But – "

" Leave those boys alone for now. I have other plans in mind."

Noin nodded and turned.

" Noin," Zechs called suddenly. She stopped immediately and turned back. " Head back," he said.

" Pardon?"

" Head back to our base in Paradise."

" But why?" Noin asked, unable to comprehend the order that was just passed.

" You'll see," he said without further explanations.

Noin saluted the order and dashed away to convey the message.

" They are retreating," Duo said. " But to where?"

Heero did not answer him. The reason was simple – he did not have the faintest idea either.

" Whatever it is, we'll be prepared for them," J said and turned. " I'll go back to Magic Town. You boys are well enough on your own."

" I'll go with you," Howard said.

" Ok, be seeing you!" Duo waved as Heero started off in another direction. " Heero! Wait for me!"

" Oh I almost forgot." Howard slapped his forehead in realization, spun around, and shouted after the running boys. " Hey, the boy in black! What's your name there?"

" Duo! Duo Maxwell! And if you think the name's too difficult to remember, just remember me as the God of Death. Bye!"

" God of Death? Very interesting…"

" He always is a very interesting pupil in school," J said.

" I suppose you mean mischievous? And how does a boy like Heero get stuck with him?"

J shrugged.

" So where do we go now? Looks like we have no more reason to hang around at the cave since OZ is not going to attack the Central," Duo asked.

" EverlastVille is safe at the moment. No need to stay here. You can go to other realms," Heero said.

" What about you?"

Heero did not answer him.

" Hey, are you deaf? I said, what about you?"

" I have my own plans."

" Well, whatever that is, I'll follow you. Who knows what you can be up to, psycho."

" Suit yourself."

Duo sighed. " He'll drive me to the asylum sooner or later. Heero, slow down!"


	12. Chapter 12

          ~*~*~Chapter Twelve~*~*~

A blast sliced through the quiet afternoon in a small prison on a beautiful realm called Earth. Do not be mistaken that Earth is the blue and white ball of planet I am referring to. The Earth realm here refers to a magical realm that was named after our planet because of its beauty. It is even more beautiful than Paradise, some claimed. How true that is, is up to the individual to decide.

Four prison guards died in the explosion when they happened to pass by that unfortunate point. A boy with platinum gold hair and blue eyes emerged form the gaping hole in the wall, carrying a backpack that hung loosely on his shoulder. An alarm rang and yells echoed throughout the place. 

He adjusted his bag firmly on his shoulders, eyes darting around to make sure no one was approaching yet. Then, he bent down and searched the dead soldiers for the keys to the prison cells. He found it and smiled. _At least I don't have to injure anyone else to get it._ Looking down at them solemnly, he said, " Sorry, I didn't mean to kill you."

Quatre Raberba Winner hurried on with his task. Using the keys, he released forty prisoners from their cells. A man, who identified himself as Rasid, asked him, " Who are you? Why are you saving us?"

" No time to talk now. If you want to live, follow me! Don't worry, I mean no harm. I'm just saving people who share the same view as me of OZ," Quatre answered quickly.

Rasid smiled. " So you are the good guy. Ok everyone, hurry up and get out of here! Move it!"

They ran out of the prison with OZ soldiers hot on their trail. Quatre stopped and turned round. " Sandrock," he commanded his tablet and held it out in front of him. " Stop, turn back. I have no wish to kill anyone."

Recognizing the tablet, the soldiers paused. They looked at him warily. Rasid stared at Quatre too. He knew the tablet. " Gundam magic…" he muttered to himself. " Don't tell me he is one of that EverlastVille boy?" News of the discovery of the five chosen Gundam boys had travelled fast and wide around all the magical realms.

" I don't believe you are that strong!" one of the soldiers shouted at Quatre and charged forward. The others followed. Fire and lightning spells were thrown towards him. 

Quatre frowned. " Shield!" he said and made a huge ball of cover for himself and the forty men he had rescued. The spells bounced off the shield. 

" Cross Crushers!" A pair of scythe-like weapons appeared in his hands. Quatre hurled it at the soldiers. The Cross Crushers twirled in the air, passing through the bodies of every OZ soldier. It flew back to Quatre. Holding it out threateningly in front of him, Quatre raised his voice at the new batch of OZ soldiers who had just caught up with them. " Anyone else?"

Scared out of their wits, they scampered off. Quatre turned to the men with a reassuring smile. " You are safe to go now."

Rasid stepped forward. He was a tall man with thick, dark hair and muscular body. To Quatre, he looked like a giant, a gentle giant with a benevolent and loyal heart. " We, the Maganac people, thank you for saving us. Please accept our heartfelt gratitude, Master Saviour," he said and bowed. The others followed.

Flattered and startled, Quatre said hurriedly, " Please, you don't have to do this! And I am no Master Saviour! Get up."

" Master –" Rasid began then paused.

" My name is Quatre Raberba Winner. You can call me Quatre."

" Master Winner," Rasid insisted stubbornly. " You saved our lives and we don't know how to thank you. We, the Maganac people, have been living in the realm of Earth for centuries. Since young, every one of us has been thought the value of honouring our homeland and protecting the innocent and weak. And so when OZ took over Earth, we were furious. The atrocities they did! We become rebels and we fought against them. It is a shame that we were thrown into prison. They were just too powerful."

" No need to feel ashamed, " Quatre said gently. " You have done your part and I think you did it very well. I am proud to have known you."

Rasid turned to the men and began discussing something in low voices. Quatre was puzzled. What could they be talking about? Every one of them nodded in agreement to something that Rasid seemed to be suggesting. 

Confident, he faced Quatre again and told him in a humble manner, " Master Winner, let us fight with you! Lead us! We shall serve you for as long as we live!" They bowed again.

" No, no!" Quatre said, unable to believe his ears. " I saved you because we are all fighting for the same goal. I have no other motive. I don't want you to serve me!"

A lanky man with black hair took a small step towards him. " We lack a good leader, one who will be able to make wise decisions for us. Since we are all fighting for the same thing, why not get together? We can help each other."

Rasid nodded. " Well-said. Master Winner, please guide us."

Quatre looked from Rasid to the lanky man to every pair of kohl-dark eyes that was pleading with him. After all, wasn't this what he had intended in the first place? To get more support from the people? Smiling widely, he extended a hand out to Rasid. " Call me Quatre, please."

" Master Quatre," Rasid corrected himself. 

Quatre doubted he would ever get them to change this ' Master' habit.

At Mountains of Dream, a magic realm, Wufei regarded a group of MDs with scathing contempt. Hovering in the air, he pointed an accusing finger at them. " You call out these dolls to fight me? Ha, a big mistake! Toys shall always toys. No big deal. To hell with you!"

He released his Gundam Magic and threw a Flamethrower spell at them. 

***********************************************************

" Noin, do you know why I come back here?" 

" No."

Zehcs and Noin were seated opposite each other in Zechs' office at Paradise. Zechs was looking straight into Noin's eyes and it was taking up all her energy not to look away in shyness. Instead, she returned him what she hoped was a sincere pair of eyes. 

" Because of Epyon," he said.

" Epyon?"

" Yes, Epyon – A Gundam tablet. A Gundam tablet against another Gundam tablet. Fair and square. Epyon was created by WindSong, one of the – no, the greatest woman sorceress of all time. Later, to the playfulness of her two pupils, Black and Serena, they installed the Zero System in it. Have you heard of the Zero System?"

" Yes. My father once told me about it. It is said that with this system, you can bring your magical skills up to a new level that is considered invincible and unbeatable. WindSong even once said that the system was capable of destroying her."

" You save me a lot of explanation." He gave her a smile. Noin smiled back in response. " I have been studying some old papers and books. The conclusion I have come up with is that the Epyon tablet is hidden right here in Paradise."

" Are…you sure?"

" Very sure. Positive. No doubt. All clear. And you are going with me the first thing on Monday to look for it."

" Me?"

" Yes, you. Other than Treize and you, there is no one else that I trust so much," he said.

Noin was not one who loves flirting and so she stopped herself from batting her eyelids just in time. Instead, she grinned at him and then became serious. Something had struck her. 

" Zechs, I've been wanting to ask you something."

" Speak."

" After this, after all of these, will you continue to stay in OZ? After all, your main intention is revenge. And you have almost accomplished that. EverlastVille just need one more attack to fall. What's next?"

" I actually have one more wish," Zechs replied thoughtfully. " That is to find my sister so that she can be the rightful ruler of Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is now rising again and Master has promised to leave it out."

" Shan't you be the ruler?" Noin asked.

" I can't. My hands are stained with too much blood. Only she, only my beloved sister can claim the throne. My father was a man who ruled by peace. What I am doing now is totally against his teachings and beliefs." Zechs looked down at his hands, a pair of hands Noin found to be impeccable and strong. 

She rose to her feet. " Rest assured Zechs. I'll find your sister for you."

" Noin…" Zechs began but his faithful subordinate waved his words aside.

" I shall find her for you. What is her name?"

" I don't know," he said in a small voice.

" I don't even remember what my real name is. Everyone in Magic Kingdom took up the surname of Peacecraft ever since my father took over the throne. It is a way of reminding them to build a world through peace and not violence. After the decline of the kingdom, most of the citizens went away to seek a better life. I was surprised to learn of Relena Peacecraft's name, which means she is supposed to be one of us. But a mission is a mission, I must kill her."

Noin thought for a while. " I promise I will find your sister, no matter what. Trust me."

Zechs studied her face and then rose to his feet. " Thanks, Noin. Now, let's find Epyon first."

Duo and Heero crouched behind a boulder, spying on Noin and Zechs as they went up a mountain. They had a pair of binoculars and Duo kept snatching it from Heero to take a better look at the two OZ members. In return, Heero snatched it back. Duo could not help grinning.

" What are you smiling at?" Heero asked him coldly.

" Nothing. Where do you think they are going?"

" No idea. We'll follow them."

" We? So you do know I'm with you. I thought you were blind and deaf," Duo replied teasingly. 

Heero did not bother to answer him. Silently, the two boys tailed them.

Noin and Zechs stopped at a cave. Both were panting from the long climb. 

" Is it in this cave?" Noin asked softly. She did not know why she was whispering but suddenly the task of searching for the tablet seemed so sacred to her. She was afraid that if she were to raise her voice, the tablet might somehow cease to exist. It was stupid but she just could not help feeling this way.

" I'm sure I'm not the first to be searching for it," Zechs answered. " It was mentioned in the books that several people have been into the cave to search for it but none has managed to find it. Black and Serena once had a fight over the tablet right in this cave and it was here that the tablet was lost. But I doubt it was lost. Serena must have hidden it somewhere in here."

Zechs entered the cave, followed by Noin. A little distant away from them were Heero and Duo. " Don't tell me they are looking for bears?" Duo mused seriously.

Inside the cave was a total darkness. Calling up a fire spell, Zechs held a ball of orange flame on his left palm. The cave was an ancient one with jagged walls and rocks all over the place. The floor was sandy. Noin sneezed once, producing an echo in the cave. Both froze for a few seconds before continuing exploring the cave. It was huge and on the walls were evidence of the fight left behind by Black and Serena. Zechs touched the scratches on it and closed his eyes, envisioning the last fight between the two friends turned foes.

Reopening his eyes, he turned to Noin. " Blast every rock you see in here."

" Why?" Noin asked in curiosity.

" I believe the tablet is hidden in one of the rock here," he answered.

" Hidden in a rock? You mean Serena had hidden Epyon inside a rock itself? But how can it be?"

" Serena had reached here first before Black. That means she has the time to hide the tablet in this cave. Other than rocks and sand, there is nothing else in this cave. For years, people have travelled to this cave, believing that the tablet was hidden under a rock. Every piece of rock in here must have been turned at least half a dozen times. So the only reason I can think of is that it is hidden inside a rock and not under it as many claimed," Zechs explained.

" But can't it be buried inside the sand?"

" If so, it would have been found quickly. The sand is not that deep in here. There is a spell you might not have heard of. Even I have not heard of it till two days ago when I was checking up on spell books and an old man in a book store told me about it."

" So that's where you'd been! No wonder I couldn't find you," Noin interrupted and nodded her head for Zechs to continue.

" There is a spell that some jewellers use to make bigger jewellery, especially precious stones like diamonds and rubies. Let's take diamonds for example. If a jeweller wants to have a big diamond but do not want to purchase one, he can actually use a spell called ' Jeweller's Rogue' to merge many small diamonds into one huge diamond. So I believe that Serena used the same method to hide the tablet." 

" Incredible," Noin muttered in a quiet tone and then straightened herself up. " Ok, let's start blasting every single rock we find in here."

" What the hell – " Duo said as the blasts in the cave rang loudly in their ears. The ground shook and birds flew away screeching in terror. " What are they doing? First I thought they were having a tryst but now it seems like they are trying to blow up the whole cave!"

Heero frowned, and his lips tightened.

Noin and Zechs aimed their spells at a similar piece of rock, shattering it into infinitesimal pieces. They shielded their eyes from the powerful explosion. There, on the ground, shining refulgently in the colour of crimson blood lay the magical tablet _Epyon. _

Zechs picked it up carefully, slowly. He could not take his gaze off it. It was beautiful. He has never seen anything so beautiful before. Noin drew in her breath sharply, heart thumping intensely against her chest. She was awed. She had witnessed the prowess of the other Gundam tablets and wondered what this one could do. Zechs turned the tablet over.

There was only one word on the back and it wrote:_ Future._ He held the future of the realms. This tablet can create a future for them, a future they can live in. How he uses it is all up to him alone. The tablet continued glowing. He faced Noin.

" We found it," he croaked.

" _You found it. I only helped a little," she said, smiling happily for him._

" It's time I go confront him."

" Who?"

" Duo Maxwell. He must be tired of waiting already. I bet the suspense is killing him."

"He was following us?" Noin widened her eyes. She had not felt his presence at all.

" Yes, I didn't know it at first too. But I caught sight of his braid from behind a tree."

Finally the two walked out of the cave. Zechs was holding something, something very similar to what they have. He was holding a Gundam tablet.

" How…" Heero faltered upon recognizing what Zechs had in his hand.

" What?" Duo asked him, frustrated. " What?"

Zechs held out his tablet. " I know you are there, Duo Maxwell. Come out."

Duo appeared from behind a boulder, followed, in slow motion, by Heero. " So you are here too, Heero," Zechs greeted him good-naturedly.

" Where did you get that?" Duo demanded.

" From this cave. We found it in there. This is Epyon. I don't think I need to elucidate about its power to you." The Epyon tablet glowed.

Duo felt his blood ran cold. Another cursed tablet with the Zero System. He stole a glance at Heero. Apart from a quick and obviously surprised expression, nothing much could be seen from his face. But Duo knew he was preparing for a fight. He reached for his Deathscythe tablet.

" I want to have a fight with you again. Since we both possess the Gundam tablets now, we can have a fair duel. And this isn't about OZ or you fighting for your rights. This is a primeval battle which will determine who is the stronger one," Zechs announced.

" Wait a minute." Duo held up his hand. " What do you mean 'both'? There are three of us here with the Gundam tablets."

" Your Deathscythe can never win against Zero System," he answered plainly.

" First, how do you mine is Deathscythe and second, WHAT? What do you mean by me being a loser?" Duo fumed and one can imagine smoke curling out from his flared nostrils. 

" He's right," Heero said unexpectedly. " You will never win against the Zero System. It's him and me. Zechs, are you aware of what the Zero System can do to you?"

" I have studied it and have also carried out some practice on my own. You do not need to worry," he said.

Duo intervened, " Heero, you don't know what you are doing."

" Stand aside," Heero ordered.

" Heero – "

" _Stand_ aside."

Reluctantly, Duo obeyed but he clutched on to his tablet tightly, ready to spring into action any moment should his friend needs help. Noin eyed him.

" Epyon," Zechs said, activating the Gundam magic.

" Wing Zero," Heero followed suit.

Both lifted their feet up from the ground. They hovered steadily in the air, facing each other with a defiant gaze. Heero's weapon, his Beam Sabre, formed in his hand. Zechs has one too.

" So we both possess magical swords. Duo, about how I know what is your tablet, it was Lady Une who told us. We really should thank her for this," Zechs said with a small smile.

Heero attacked and Zechs barely ducked his Beam Sabre. The two swords clashed together and the ground shook under their powers. Being the older of the two, Zechs has an advantage in physical strength. He managed to push Heero aside whose fall was stopped painfully by a rotting tree trunk on the ground. Using magic, he threw the tree trunk into Zechs' direction. Zechs neatly cut it into two equal halves. Heero flew at him again and the two began pitting skills.

Duo was itching to join in. He moved a step forward and so did Noin. He glared at her and she glared back. " No you don't," she told him.

" But what if I want to?" 

" Then I'll have to stop you."

" Ok, then let's see who's stronger!" Duo charged at her.

Zechs was fighting his best against Heero. " Looks like it will be a tough one," Zechs said to his opponent, sounding somewhat satisfied.

" Cut the crap!" Heero answered and fired a spell at him. Zechs retaliated with another spell. Both boys were careful of each other, each knowing what the other can do – kill him.

" Heat Rod!" Zechs changed his sword into a red-hot whip-like weapon that can burn a person if he is not careful. Heero could not dodge it fast enough and the whip sliced into his upper left arm. Blood trickled down. He bit his lip from the burning sensation and fought back with a shield in hand. 

Suddenly, Duo came flying towards Heero. Heero could not dodge him in time as Duo was propelled to him by a fast, powerful spell with the courtesy of Noin. Further more, he was absorbed in his battle with Zechs. Duo has underestimated his opponent. 

Both boys were sent knocking near the entrance of the cave, with Heero cushioning Duo. The impact fractured Heero's arm and a rib. He could feel it and was aware of his injury. But he did not care. Pushing Duo to a side, he again charged back at Zechs.

" To hell with you!" Duo said in anger and released his Flying Bat spell at Noin. Fuelled by his humiliation and resentment, he was suddenly capable of beating Noin. Upon realizing that, Noin took on the defensive side. Though she has the experience, he has the power. 

Zechs was breathing hard. He realized that Heero was hurt. And badly. Heero's left arm could hardly move but he forced it to fight. And the willpower was amazing. Zechs could not believe that this was a human fighting him. Heero went on as if he was not injured, and he hardly bat an eyelid as each left arm movement brings about the feeling of knives cutting into it. He tried to keep his breathing constant.

" Twin Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero shouted aloud, as a way of releasing his pain. 

Even with his injury, both were still an equal, or at least, Heero was trying to make it even. Zechs knew Heero could not hold out much longer but he wondered how long he could hold out. An hour? Two? Three? Slowly, Zechs was gaining the upper hand but he still could not defeat Heero. Not yet. But soon.

It was only minutes later that the OZ soldiers, MDs, came rushing at them. Duo was taken by surprise and he alone could not outfight forty or more of them. Heero heard his cry of surprise and with this as distraction, Zechs dealt a final blow on him with his whip, sending the boy backward into the trees. There was a soft thud and the urgent chattering of a startled animal which had been courageous enough to watch them fight. From a distant of course. 

Quickly, the MDs surrounded Duo and one aimed a spell at him from the back. Before he could react, another spell was thrown at him. Overwhelmed with pain, he fainted. Noin immediately instructed him to be taken back. 

" Zechs," she said, turning to him and was relieved to see him basically unharmed, except for some minor, superficial wounds. " Where is he?"

" There. But I did not defeat him. He was injured. Noin, I did not need your help," Zechs said.

" I'm sorry but I was worried. He is a powerful opponent. I apologize." 

" Go find him."

" Yes!" Quickly, Noin directed the MDs to look for Heero. However, they could not find him. He was gone. Vanished. 

" Hang in there, Heero," a soothing voice said to him. Heero struggled to open his eyes, to move his limbs but failed. Sub-consciously, he knew this voice. And he knew he was safe.


	13. Chapter 13

             **_Chapter Thirteen**            _

" Heero!" Relena awoke from her sleep. Heart thumping, sweat shining on her forehead, she looked around at her office. Someone was sitting there. She jumped to her feet.

The intruder was Dorothy Catalonia. " You are awake, Miss Relena. I'm sorry if I disturbed you from your sleep. I brought you some cakes and tea. You were sleeping so soundly that I just did not have the heart to wake you up."

" Oh. Thank you, Dorothy," Relena said weakly. _Heero…_ In her dream, she saw him injured in a fight. No, dying from a fight. And he was all alone…dying all alone. _No, it's only a dream,_ she reminded herself but still, it seemed so real. Her instinct, her sixth sense, told her something had happened to him and he needed her.

_Heero…_

" Is anything the matter?" Dorothy asked curiously, genuinely concerned. 

" Dorothy, any news from them?" Relena asked her.

" You mean the five boys? Or…" Her eyes gleamed mischievously at her. " Do you mean Heero?" 

She blushed, flabbergasted. " I…I mean…"

" Sorry Miss Relena but I have heard nothing. I just asked Mr J and his friends but they too have heard nothing. It is rather calm at the moment. But not for long."

" OZ has left EverlastVille but I'm sure it is only temporary." Relena paused and then went on, " I'm worried."

" For Heero?"

" For him and all of them. I want to go look for him."

Dorothy was hardly surprised. It was as if she had expected this. " Then I'll go with you."

There was a knock on the door. Mr J came in. He regarded Relena for a few seconds before heaving a tired sigh and said, " I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, Relena. Even if you go, it's no use."

" Why?" Relena asked.

" Heero is in a battle now. I know you are feeling uneasy about him but I assure you he will be fine. Heero has always been a very lucky boy."

" Mr J…"

" Relena, think about the school and the people here. You are being very irresponsible."

" I know but this urge inside me is so strong. I just want to go to him," Relena said softly.

Dorothy interrupted them. " Mr J, why don't you let Miss Relena go? After all, the school has barely eighty pupils and you and the other professors can look after them. Please let Miss Relena go."

" Dorothy…" Relena was touched that her friend have spoken up for her.

Mr J furrowed his brows at the two girls. " No," he replied firmly. " It's too dangerous."

" I can look after her," Dorothy insisted.

Mr J shook his head stubbornly. He will never let them do it. Their personal safety comes first. Dorothy looked down on the carpeted floor. Suddenly, she shoved Mr J aside with all her might and grabbed Relena's hand.

" Come on!" she urged.

Bewildered, Relena let herself be pulled away by Dorothy. The two girls raced out of the office, out of the school and into a sunshine-yellow car that stood waiting at the front of the school gate. Dorothy guided Relena into the passenger seat. She jumped into the driver's seat and gunned the engine. The car roared to life and they drove off at top speed. 

" Dorothy, where are we going?" Relena asked, terrified.

" Don't you want to look for your handsome boyfriend?" she said, laughing. " War, here we come!" 

It took a minute for Relena to register it into her head. " Dorothy, that's wrong! And Heero's not my boyfriend."

" If you are worried about the school, don't be. I'm sure Mr J will take care of everything. Meanwhile, we are going to look for your boy. I'm sure he misses you as much too, right?" Dorothy looked at Relena slyly. 

Once again, she blushed.

" I…well…it…it's just that we seem so irresponsible."

" Relax, will you? It's no big deal. We live only once, and we got to make the best of it."

************************************************************

Wufei stood with feet astride on top of a green, luscious hill. He scrutinized the scenery in front of him. _Mountains of Dream_ _indeed do live up to its name, he thought to himself. _

Clouds embellished the peaks of the mountains, and somewhere, the thunderous sound of waterfall reached his ears. There were few trees here, but plenty of grass and flowers. People live in harmony and peace, till the war came. Now, no more laughter can be heard echoing anymore. Wufei clenched his fists into two tight balls. 

It was an especially hazy day today, the best of conditions to fight against the stupid OZ soldiers. He was planning to attack them later in the evening, when visuality would be down. After several assaults by him, the group of morons here could no longer hold out much longer. As long as they don't keep sending in reinforcements, this shall be their last day here. The organization was larger than he thought. 

_I wonder how the rest of the guys are…_

A moving shape from below caught his eyes. It was moving slowly, painfully. The shape was limping, dragging its useless leg behind it. Then it fell without a sound. Wufei flew down from the hill and ran to the still body. 

" Oi." He shook it. It did not move. 

Gingerly, he turned the body around and to his astonishment, the person was none other than Miss Sally Po, the principal of the Gundam Girls' School of Magic. 

Sally opened her eyes to find herself under a tree. It was late afternoon now, judging from the glowing, orange sun that was before her. The light hurt her eyes and she blinked hard to adjust to it. She shifted her weight slightly, but this small movement was enough to bring attention to the acute senses of someone near her.

" You're awake," Wufei said.

" Chang…Wufei…you saved me?" she asked, still dazed from her injuries. 

" What happened to you?"

She sighed. " I infiltrated into one of the OZ camps. I tried to find out more about their plans, and possibly their headquarters but…" she trailed off.

" But you failed," he finished the sentence for her.

" Yes. They grew suspicious of me. I was careless, and my carelessness caused the deaths of my fellow comrades." Sally moved her gaze away from him and shut her eyes for a moment, willing herself not to cry.

" You were fighting the OZ all this while?"

" Yes. I left the school to Relena." She smiled briefly. " She will make a better principal than me. I am never cut out to be one anyway, I just needed a job then."

" You shan't fight anymore," he said.

" Why?" she asked, taken aback by his sudden remark.

" Women and the weak should never fight. They just don't have the power to," he replied matter-of-factly.

" I believe that as long as you have the heart to do it, nothing is impossible," Sally explained gently. 

" So what if you have the heart but not the power to do it? You'll only die in the end."

" But at least you know that you have tried."

" But the fact remains that you are weak, that you lack the strength to fight them back."

" So you mean only strong people like you can fight?" Sally argued, feeling the temperature rising in her.

" I believe that only people with the power can fight. Women are too weak." His eyes penetrated into hers, insinuating her to give up.

" You are wrong, Wufei! I alone may not be able to accomplish much but with the help of others, I can do much. You think like this because you are too alone, because you do not want to accept others into your life, because you are too narrow-minded!"

To her amazement, Wufei did not get angry. Instead, he turned his back on her and walked off. 

" I'll go find some herbs for you. Woman, I know you feel the resentment in you because you have failed. You will realise how wrong you are. You just need some time."

Sally's chest heaved heavily from her outburst. She tried to calm herself down. Her anger was now gone, replaced by an indescribable forlornness. 

" You think you alone can change the world, but no you can't. I think it's wrong for the five of you to split up this mission, since you can never split one whole heart into five different pieces. You just haven't seen this yet. You are just blaming on something to make you feel better," she whispered to his vanishing back.

************************************************************

Heero awoke with a painful ache in his body, but he managed to prop himself up on an arm. He studied his new surrounding with a pair weary eyes. He was in a camp. Heero was ready to escape if his saviour turns out to be someone with an ulterior motive. 

The cover of the camp moved and a head pop in, pulling the cover aside to let in the warm sunlight. To his relief, it was Trowa. 

Trowa had saved him. 

" Hi," Trowa greeted him. " You were asleep for two days."

" So long?" Heero bit his lips. Every second was precious to him and two days were wasted because of his injury. He could have done a lot of things within the two days. " Where am I?"

" Dragon Land. Feeling better?"

Heero touched his bandaged arm and body. It hurts but not as much as before. " Yes," he paused before adding a " thank you."

" You're still weak, but you should be up and about in three more days. Duo was too rash."

" You had seen the fight? You were there all along?"

" Yes. I was hanging around to see if they had any new plans. Then I saw you. But I could only save one person – you or Duo."

" Duo was captured?" 

" He was outnumbered."

Heero soaked in the information. Trowa handed him a cup of water and he drank it gratefully. It was then he smelled something delicious cooking in a pot at the front of the camp. His stomach growled unabashedly. While he gave an appalled expression, Trowa laughed aloud. It was the second time he had heard Trowa laughing so genuinely. The first time was back at the Magic School when they had teased Quatre. It seemed so long ago. 

The sound was so precious that Heero felt like laughing too but his broken rib refrained him from it. He grimaced instead. Smiling now, Trowa scooped the broth from the pot into a brown bowl and passed it to Heero. He gobbled it clean in a matter of seconds. Trowa scooped him a second helping. 

With a solemn expression, Trowa said, " I'll be paying Lady Une a visit tomorrow."

Heero looked up. " I'll go with you."

" Given your present condition, you won't be able to fight. I can do it myself. I have been doing it all alone."

Heero put down his bowl and lay back on his thin mattress, a soft sigh escaping from his lips.

************************************************************

Duo stared up at the ceiling of his prison cell, wincing in pain at his tightly bounded hands. He was tied up to a chair and sitting all day made his bottom ache. He longed to move his body and kick the butts of the OZ soldiers. He tried to escape once but was caught too soon and shoved back into his cell. They even took away his Deathscythe tablet. He cursed them under his breath. Now Zechs would have two Gundam tablets and it was his fault. If only he had been more careful. 

Duo had never felt so bored in his life. " Row row row your boat…" he started to sing at the top of his voice.

" Shut up boy!" the guard outside his door bellowed at him.

But this only made him sing louder. " Merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream…"

" Shut up or I'll kill you!"

" Mary has a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb…" Duo went on cheerily, his spirit lifting.

************************************************************

" He's here again!" a soldier informed Lady Une, who has just finished her morning exercise.

" Oh?" a smirk danced on her lips. " So soon? This time, I'll teach him a lesson proper and etch it deep in his mind."

" Rain of Blood!" Trowa said in a commanding voice. He held his hands, palms down, horizontally to his chest and then hurled it outwards, killing every single person near him. His Heavyarms shone incandescently. 

You may wonder, when the boys were displaying their Gundam magic, were they holding their tablets and fighting at the same time? Or did they put it into their pockets (as if Heero or Wufei has pockets)? The answer is no. Once they activated their tablets, it _became them. Now what do I mean? To make long explanations short, the tablets merged with them. It is no longer a solid object in their hands but a formless, air-like substance that surrounds them, giving them life and tremendous power to battle. Once they finish, it just turns back to its tablet form._

So when Trowa's "Heavyarms shone incandescently", it means that he himself is giving off the light. _Heavyarms is he. __He is Heavyarm_s._ That is the ultimate of it._

" Trowa Barton," Lady Une acknowledged him with mock friendliness. She waved aside the surviving soldiers. " How have you been?"

Trowa kept his silence.

" I was after all a principal, shan't you show me some respect? My, Mr J sure has breed some insolent boys. I'm going to have to give him a piece of my mind."

Still, Trowa maintained his aloofness. 

Lady Une narrowed her eyes at him. " Looks like you need a lesson in manners. I'll be glad to give you one. Flame Arrow!" She raised her arms and fired a fiery arrow at the boy.

Trowa leapt up to avoid it. " Gatling Cannon!" He pointed a finger at her and the bullet-like rays shot towards her. He then threw a second spell at her.

Une shielded herself and used a fire spell to counter-attack his Blood of Rain. From the strength of her spells, Trowa could sense her improvement. It would take a little while longer to beat her this time.

The two were engaged in a fierce battle, with Trowa gaining the upper hand. Lady Une began to take on the defensive side, finding it more and more difficult to fight back. Trowa pressed on mercilessly, relentlessly. Lady Une staggered backwards in defeat, limbs shaking uncontrollably. Trowa has only one cut on his left thigh.

" I'll help you," a voice boomed around them.

Trowa suppressed his shock. He had not sense anyone coming near them. This person must be highly skilled. Floating in the air above them was Treize Khushrenada. He landed between the two of them, back facing Lady Une.

" Treize," Une called to him in delight and relief.

" Let me take over. You take a rest my Lady." 

Lady Une obediently stepped back. 

Trowa could feel the oppressive pressure that had suddenly descended on him. It threatened to show on his face. Treize smiled at his enemy. 

" Hello Trowa. Nice weather we have today," he said in a light tone.

" I don't like to talk to my enemies," Trowa answered stiffly.

" Oh? So what do you like to do to them?"

" Kill them," someone answered on his behalf. All of them spun round to see who the newcomer was – Heero Yuy. 

" Heero, what are you doing here?" Trowa asked, astounded. Except for his bandages, Heero appeared to be perfectly well. He walked over to Trowa, his eyes glued intently on Treize.

" Let's just say I'm here to repay you," he said.

" You can't – " Trowa protested but Heero held up his hand.

" Don't tell me what I can or can't do. I know myself best, you don't."

Faced with such an unyielding and determined fellow, Trowa could only keep his mouth shut and watch Heero's back. Who knows what the formidable Treize can do to them? An escape plan formed in his mind, but it is to be used only as a last resort. They will never surrender. Never ever.

" The more the merrier," Treize commented on the new arrival. He could feel the thrill of the fight. " Shall we start?" 

And so they did.

With lightning speed and incredible magic.

And it was taking a huge effort on Lady Une's part to try to keep up with the fight.

************************************************************

Noin stopped in front of the Gundam Boys' School of Magic. She had on a cream-coloured scarf and dark sunglasses. She had changed out of her OZ uniform to a plain-looking array with faded rose patterns. She looked like an inconspicuous village girl and that was exactly what she wanted.

The moment she stepped into the school, Prof. G pounced on her like a hungry hawk. " Who are you? What are you doing here?" he interrogated.

Noin put on her sweetest smile. " Hello. I'm looking for an uncle of mine. I received a letter from him a few days ago. His name is Howard."

G scrutinized her with deep suspicion. Howard seldom talks about his family, and he certainly did not tell them about a niece coming to the school. Howard has only one brother and that one is long dead – the late King of EverlastVille. The present king right now, in his private opinion, was incompetent and dopey. Howard would make a better king but he has no intention to vie for the throne. 

Noin continued to smile. " Perhaps you don't know but Uncle Howard has another brother. Why don't you ask him out and let him see me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Howard's voice came floating to their ears. " What's the matter?" He has been doing some gardening. Howard threw down his spade and came over to them.

" Is this your niece, Howard?" G turned to him.

" Uncle," Noin greeted him amiably and lowered her shades. Though the movement was quick, it was enough for Howard to catch her eyes. 

" Nancy," Howard exclaimed in sheer happiness and gave her a hug. He has great acting skills, really he has. Noin made a mental note about teaching him a lesson or two for his much-too-enthusiastic-acting. " It's been a long time!"

" She's really your niece?" G said.

" 100% yes. Didn't you notice the shades?" Howard said teasingly. " Come Nancy, we have lots to catch up on."

" You have another brother?" G asked.

" Yes, it's a private family affair actually," he said in a low volume. " Don't tell anyone that."

G watched Howard happily led his 'niece' up to a little storage hut at the back of the school where Howard had set up his temporary home. Royalties are even weirder than he thought. 

Howard closed the door behind him and turned to Noin in a cautious manner. Noin removed her scarf and sunglasses. 

" You look better this way. More like a lady," Howard told her.

Noin ignored him. " I want to ask you something."

" Eh? I thought you are here to take me away," Howard said, bemused. He took off his sunglasses, blinking his eyes questioningly at the young woman. There was something about her tone, the way she looked, that told Howard that she was here on a very private mission. One that does not concern OZ or the war.

Noin looked straight into his eyes. " Do you know anything about the whereabouts of the royal descendants of the Magic Kingdom? Specifically the princess?"

The question took him by shock. " Why? Why do you want to know?"

Her eyes softened and she took a step forward towards Howard, as if pleading with him. In fact, Noin was prepared to do anything for Zechs. Including throwing away her pride and dignity. " Please, I need to know."

" What makes you think I know the answer?"

" Because the others involved with that business are already dead."

It was a tough choice for Howard to make. Noin belonged to OZ; she was their enemy. How can he tell those murderers anything, let alone speak to them? But being an elder, being someone with wisdom, he could _see._ He could see that Noin was not evil by nature. Circumstances forced her to be hard and merciless. It was the same with Zechs. Both do not possess the devil he had seen in others. They were only misled.

And in her voice, Howard heard something. Howard heard and felt her love for that man. Noin stared at him with a hunger, a need to fulfill this emptiness for her beloved, to make him happy. When he's happy, she's happy. When he's sad, she's sad. As simple as that.

Noin prayed. She seldom prays and if there was ever a moment for praying, this was it. Sincerity moves a person's heart. And she hoped Howard could see that. Howard _must know about Zechs' sister, or he could tell her something that would be useful in her search. _

Her heart beat with anxiety. What's taking him so long to answer?

At last, Howard spoke. " You travelled here incognito for this?"

" Yes," she whispered, without any hesitation or falseness. 

He took a deep, deep breath. " The Princess of EverlastVille, her highness' name is…"

Noin waited. She leaned closer to hear him better.

" …Relena Peacecraft."


	14. Chapter 14

                   Chapter Fourteen

Relena and Dorothy searched for Heero but to no avail. It has been five days now and Relena was getting discouraged. The hope that was previously burning in her was now diminishing. Still, she kept on looking. Somewhere deep in her heart, she believed in miracles. And she believed that she would be led to Heero sooner or later.

Dorothy sank down onto a root of a tree trunk, jaded. The girls had travelled from one place to another, first in Dorothy's car and now on foot. It had run out of gas in one village. Since most of the villagers were poor people, no one owns a car. Even the supposedly more wealthy ones travel in horse-carriages. It was pathetic and most distressing to Dorothy. She had sulked and yelled at them, hurling such ugly abuses that the people there had drove them out. 

" I can't go on," Dorothy complained petulantly. 

Relena sighed. " Let's take a rest then."

" I'm thirsty." 

Relena handed Dorothy her water bottle and she gulped it down. Still unsatisfied, she said, " It's not enough."

" It's the last we have," Relena said, neither angry nor annoyed by her ceaseless whining.

Dorothy switched to another complaint. " I'm getting hungry. How long is it to the next town?"

Her good-tempered companion checked the map. " It's a village, not a town," she told her.

" Another village?! Oh my god, how many more are there? How come these people are so backward? Those old turtles."

" Dorothy, don't say that."

" Hello." A shadow fell on the ground in front of the two girls. They looked up. It was Lucrezia Noin. She was dressed in a rose-patterned dress and a scarf. Her sunglasses dangled from her fingers. She placed her hand on her hip and smiled – at Relena. Relena did not return her the smile. 

" You," Dorothy addressed her curtly. She was as surprised as Relena to say much.

" Glad you still remember me."

" I'll never forget you," Relena said coldly.

Noin collected back her smile. " I know you hate me and want me dead. My feeling was mutual but not now. I want you to meet a person."

" Who?"

" You'll know if you come with me."

" Sorry. I have better things to do. Let's go Dorothy." The two started to leave.

" Aren't you looking for someone?" Noin called out. Relena stopped abruptly. Slowly, she turned back to face her. " How do you know?" she asked, pronouncing the words carefully.

She shrugged. " Any fool can guess. Which person in her right mind would wander about in such a god-forsaken place?" A wolf howled mournfully, right on cue. It sent shivers down their spines. Relena glanced around her apprehensively. 

" If you haven't heard, OZ captured a rebel some days ago. News like this spread like wildfire. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it." Noin could see Relena walking into her trap. No, you don't call that a trap. More of an insinuation, a kind of clever persuasion. She smiled again.

Relena had heard of the news just this morning, from the village they had left. But she had forgotten about it, as the women who were gossiping about it did not seem serious. Noin brought that back to her again. _Heero…_he flashed into her mind. _Could it be him?_

" What is his name?" she asked.

Noin studied her slyly. " I only said a 'rebel'. I did not say whether the person is a he or a she. How did you know it's a boy we caught?"

" Um…" Relena was at a loss for words.

" If you want to see him, come with me. I believe he is your friend."

Relena was certain that they had Heero with them. Though she felt that Noin had something else in mind other than bringing her to see Heero, she followed her nevertheless. Dorothy trailed behind, trying to fathom what Noin was up to.

***********************************************************

Sweat trickled down Heero's forehead. He glanced across at Trowa, who was just as exhausted but still going strong. Neither side was willing to give way, and neither does it look like either party is going down. Treize was panting.

" You are tough," Treize praised. He looked sincere.

" So are you," Trowa said.

Heero gritted his teeth. His arm was bleeding profusely. In this tedious match, his wound had broken once again. Trowa cast a worried glance in his direction.

" You're injured. Take a rest. I don't like to take anyone's advantage," Treize said.

" I can still fight," Heero shot back.

" You'll die if you keep this up."

" Then you'll die with me."

Heero rushed forward at Treize with his Beam Saber. Treize blocked his swift moves with his magical sword. Trowa joined in, backing up Heero. 

Lady Une stood some distance away watching the fight. Her palms were wet. She hoped that Treize would win. The battle has been going on for about three hours now. Many of the soldiers were slumped on the ground, tired from watching the fight. Lady Une knew the fight would end soon. She whirled round to the soldiers to get them ready.

" Once they're down, get them immediately. Understand?"

" Yes!"

" Feathers of Light!" Heero shouted out suddenly, spreading his arms out in semblance of a pair of wings. This Wing Zero magic produced a white light, blinding the eyes of everyone. It took shape of a pair of enormous wings. Heero's Prussian-blue eyes burned with intensity. The force was enough to send a normal person flying across the field at top speed. And this was exactly what happened to most of the soldiers. Lady Une moved back some steps. She stopped and staggered back again. Stopped and walked back again. 

Even Trowa had to back off from Heero. However, he was much more stable than Lady Une. Shielding his eyes from the light, Treize moved back too. He managed to peek through his fingers to see the wing-like force looming before him, threatening to swallow him whole. It was even more powerful than the Twin-Beam Buster Rifle. Heero has been keeping his best for the last. And he was struggling to keep up with such an overwhelming and awe-inspiring magic. 

Heero would have done better, unleashed more of its potential if he had not been injured. The Feathers of Light that he released now was merely half of its magnificent power. But it was enough to send any idiot scampering for his dear life. But Treize was of a different, idiotic material. He stayed and countered it with an unorthodox magic that he had been keeping for emergency use or any unforeseen circumstances. And this was it.

Treize forced his arms away from his eyes. He sucked in one breath, long and deep. He muttered something and held out his hands in front of him, just as the Feathers of Light was concealing him. 

" Treize!" Lady Une screamed.

" I am born from the womb of Mother Earth," he chanted dreamily. " The child of Nature am I. The sky I hold, the ground I step. The air I breathe, to keep me alive. Heaven hears my command, Hell knows I'm Master. I cannot die. For I am the child of Mother Earth. In her womb – was I reborn!!!"

With a yell that originated from his very soul, he burst out from the cover of the wings. Heero staggered back from the impact.  Trowa steadied him. The wind howled, blowing with all its might. 

" Shield!" Trowa said. " Let's go, Heero."

" We have failed?" Heero said weakly.

" No. But I think we need to make some more improvements. Come on."

When the wind finally subsided to a dejected breeze, all that was left was dust and swaying grass. Lady Une ran up to Treize. " Treize! Are you okay?"

" I'm fine," he assured her. A small line of blood ran down the side of his lips.

" You're injured!" she said, alarmed. 

" Just a minor one," he replied brusquely. " Une, I have met my match. Those boys are none below me."

" You'll find a way to defeat them. I'm confident about it," she said. " What was that spell you used…"

" It's an unorthodox spell. I have never dared to use it because of its unpredictable effects. If you fail to unleash it out, it will accumulate inside your body and kill you."

" That's too dangerous!"

" I know. But he has forced me to use it. That boy is something. I wonder how it will be like when all five of them combine their best magic together."

Lady Une shook her head. " I hope it will never happen. It will prove to be a disaster for us."

" A very spectacular disaster."

***********************************************************

Over at Mountains of Dream, Wufei and Sally were hard at work, driving the OZ soldiers out of the realm. Bodies lay unnaturally on the cold ground, some closed together, some scattered. Wufei swung his Twin-Beam Trident with the best of his strength; Sally fired magical balls at them. 

Before long, all the MDs were dead and the few lucky soldiers were all gone. Sally sank to the ground in exhaustion while Wufei shouted into the air, " If you dare come back here, I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than your comrades!"

They had done it – they had driven the OZ soldiers out of this realm. Mountains of Dream is a small realm, and the number of OZ soldiers stationed here were lesser than in any other realms. With some help from the local citizens and dogged determination exuded by the two, they won. 

Instead of feeling happy, Wufei felt a sense of loneliness. He did not know why, but his heart just felt empty. After spending days fighting with those weak wastrels, he did not know what to do next. Should he stop for a rest or move on immediately? Wufei was tired.

" Hey Wufei," Sally said. " What's next?"

Sally has spoke aloud his thoughts. He looked at her. She was grinning at him triumphantly. He did not smile back. Instead, he frowned. 

" Are you always so serious? Come on, give me a smile," she said.

" I think our enemies were too weak."

" Sure they are. Compared to Treize, they are very weak. But there are so many of them around and this makes up their weaknesses. At least, we have driven away. I doubt they'll come back here. For the time being."

" I need to be going."

Sally rose to her feet. " What? So soon? Don't you want to take a rest first?"

" It isn't necessary. The sooner we beat them, the sooner we can get back to our normal lives," he said.

" I know you are eager to defeat them but think of your health. If you fall sick, you won't be able to kill a mosquito, let alone kill them," Sally said, trying to inject some humour.

Wufei glared at her. " Miss Po, I'm calling you Miss Po because you are after all a principal."

" Were," she corrected him.

He went on as if she had not said anything. " I know myself best. You don't know. I have never like to work with women or anyone else for that matter. I prefer to be left alone. Do you understand?"

Sally understood it perfectly. But it was not right. No man is an island, and everyone needs friends. Especially Wufei. She could not help but wonder what he had went through in the past but she was sure it had something to do with his present attitude. Back at the Magic School, he was not like this. Or so she heard. He has friends – Heero, Duo, Trowa and Quatre. This war must have brought back something unhappy, painful and poignant.

" Can you tell me why?" she asked tentatively.

He paused, and then said carefully, " Why what? What do you mean?"

" You know what I mean. I'm sure you are not like this. Back at school, you were perfectly normal. You were a _boy_. But now…"

" But now I'm a monster?" he finished for her.

" That's not what I mean!"

" Woman – Miss Po, you don't know me," he said through gritted teeth. " So don't try to know me."

" Of course I don't know you. You didn't tell me."

Wufei narrowed his eyes into two thin slits. Sally challenged him by raising her chin high. One thing both of them have in common is stubbornness. Wufei clutched his Shenlong tablet and held it in front of him.

" Don't force me to do something that you'll regret," he warned.

" I won't regret it. You will," Sally countered back.

Wufei turned his back on her and walked off. Sally stayed where she was, watching him.

***********************************************************

" Down with OZ! Kill those bastards! Down with them!!!"

Quatre was floating well above the heads of the three hundred odd people gathered round him and the Maganac people. These people had all suffered under the rule of OZ. Quatre understood them – he was like their saviour. 

" Please, listen to me!" Quatre shouted so as to make his voice heard over the throng of noisy crowd. " We mustn't be so rash. OZ will not relinquish so easily. You cannot just rush in there and kill them. You will get killed instead."

" Then what do you suggest we do?" one man cried out. All at once, the noise started again. 

" I understand how you are all feeling." The people hushed upon hearing these words. " I feel helpless and full of anguish myself. Helpless in watching so many innocent people dying because of OZ and angry that there seems to be nothing to stop them. But those tyrants will not live long here. Together, we can drive them away! But we need a plan, a foolproof scheme, in order to make it work."

" Then do you have a plan?" another asked.

Rasid stepped forward. " Master Quatre thinks that we should try to find the headquarters of OZ. But in the meantime, we shall continue to try to abate the forces of OZ by making destructive attacks on their bases. Also, we shall be going round to recruit more anti-OZ members. So once their headquarters is discovered, we can launch a full-scale and unprecedented attack on them and wipe those abominable bastards out!"

The people cheered. Rasid gave Quatre a thumbs-up sign and he smiled back at him. 

***********************************************************

Noin had changed back into her OZ uniform. They were now in Paradise. Zechs did not know they were back yet. Noin wanted to give him a pleasant surprise, and also, the shock of his life.

" How's dinner?" Noin asked in a congenial manner.

" Scrumptious!" Dorothy complimented. " You have some great cooks."

" We sure do." Noin smiled.

" Can we see him?" Relena burst out, unable to contain her anxiety.

" In a while. First, you shall go see him."

" Who?" Dorothy asked.

Noin did not give them a clue 'who' they were going to meet first. " Follow me."

Zechs was sitting in his office, studying the Deathscythe tablet with utmost interest. He pondered over the words written at the back of it, _Death, the angel of darkness._ He certainly did not want to die. Yet. Did this mean that Duo Maxwell boy thought of dying? 

Two quick knocks on the door told him that Noin had returned. He grinned. Noin has a way of handling things that was both efficient and effective. Even knocking on doors, she has her own unique style. This was her charm.

" Come in, Noin," he answered. He wondered what news she had brought back.

Noin opened the door. " How did you know it's me?" she asked.

" I just do." He looked at the two girls Noin had brought back – Dorothy Catalonia and Relena Peacecraft. " What are they doing here?"

" I brought them here. I believe after you heard what I have to say, you will think differently. At least, towards one of them."

" You want us to meet him?" Relena said in an incredulous voice. 

" What is going on here?" Zechs asked, equally puzzled.

" So he was the 'rebel' you were talking about?" Dorothy said with heavy sarcasm. 

" What rebel?" Zechs asked again.

" Please, allow me to explain." They turned to look at Noin, who was smiling mysteriously. She cleared her throat and put on a grave front. " I'm afraid I had to lure you here to meet him, Relena. You won't have believed me if I told you what this was all about in the first place. You won't have agreed to come here at all."

Relena cut in, " So that piece of news about you capturing a rebel was rubbish?"

" No, it's true. We caught one of them. He's in the room below us." She inhaled a fresh supply of air before breaking the news, " Zechs, I want you to meet your sister – Relena Peacecraft. Relena, this is your brother."

None could believe their ears. Dorothy covered her mouth in surprise. Zechs went dumb, along with Relena. Silence filled the room. It was so quiet that every one of them was aware of the ticking of the cuckoo clock.  Noin let the news sink in first before she continued her explanation.

" I believe I should start with the history of Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was once one of the most powerful and influential magical realms. Under the rule of competent and benevolent kings – King Truss, His Majesty Martis, Emperor Anderson and you father, the Great King Peacecraft, Magic Kingdom prospered and flourished. All of them had only one thing in their mind – peace. Especially King Peacecraft, who decided that the best way to achieve this goal was to have it in the blood of the people. So he ordered every single citizen in the realm to take up his name – Peacecraft. He hoped to let everyone in the other magical realms understand this point and do away with violence and wars.

" King Peacecraft had four good friends – King Edward from EverlastVille, Queen Ocean from Waterworld, Royal Adam from Paradise and Majesty Calm from Garden Paradise. King Peacecraft enjoyed the company of his friends, but at the same time was aware of their weaknesses and ambitions. It was Queen Ocean who first came up with the idea of a merge between the five realms. 'Since we are such good friends, we might as well merge and live together,' she told them. It was just a harmless suggestion on her part, for Queen Ocean was a straightforward person. Royal Adam, being ambitious, took that as a sign of power – the power to be able to rule five realms and maybe all the rest of the realms. For you see, there could only be one king. No such thing as sharing of throne. And so he agreed to the idea and starts advocating the rest.

" King Edward, being a weak king who can hardly think on his own was persuaded by Adam. Majesty Calm was doubtful at first too but soon his greed for power surfaced and he agreed too. But King Peacecraft was against the merging of the five realms. He could see what was wrong with it. Cupidity, power, fame, inadequate ruling were all in it. Not to mention the different cultures of the people. It would take a long time to settle them down under capable ruling but this does not seem to be the case to his friends. Royal Adam was aware of his disagreement and so he would try to silence him and seize the throne. If he were to rule, the people would suffer. Though King Peacecraft had long known about his friend's ambitions, he did not take it seriously until now. 

" Suddenly, all the bad sides to human nature were exposed. Your father, he protested vehemently and called for the voice of the people. And Edward, Calm, Ocean and Adam had to silence him. Though Queen Ocean realised the mistake later, it was too late. Your father had already being killed. But knowing she was powerless against the rest, she had no choice but to swallow every resentment and injustice. But the murder of King Peacecraft was not enough for Adam and Calm. They wanted to get rid of every royal member in the family. Howard and one your father's men managed to whisk the two of you away. But your mother was unlucky. She was murdered. You were barely two years old then, Relena and your brother was six. So this was enough to give him the thought for revenge. 

" But Adam and Calm's soldiers soon caught up and in the confusion, your brother went tumbling down the hill. OZ saved him. And he joined it. Howard passed you on to a normal family and here you are today. Meanwhile, the people realised the problems of the merge and led a protest against the four rulers. Even the military turned against them. Ocean stepped down immediately, glad to be off the matter and returned to her realm, mourning for her deceased friend. The other three had no choice but to abandon the merging plan under the people's strength. Magic Kingdom fell without a good ruler to pass on the throne. But it is now recovering. At last.

" This all happened about 13 years ago," Noin finished.


	15. Chapter 15

                    Chapter Fifteen

" Treize! Treize!" 

" What is it, Lady Une?"

" Our soldiers were driven out of Mountains of Dream!"

" Is it?"

" Allow me to lead another attack."

" No, no need. Looks like I have underestimated them." 

" Why?"

Treize looked at Lady Une. She was furious. She could not believe that OZ has been beaten by the boys. He himself had not expected it. Something stirred in him.

" I have another plan," he answered. " For EverlastVille."

***********************************************************

" You're lying!" Relena accused vehemently at Noin. " How can he be my brother? My brother, if I have a brother, will never be so evil! He even tried to kill me!"

" Believe me, I was as shocked as you are now," Noin said.

" Can we trust this Howard, Noin? What does he have to prove that we are siblings?" Zechs asked. He was as doubtful as Relena. If she is his sister…

_God, I tried to kill my own sister. _

" I knew you would ask me this. I asked Howard the very same question." Noin took out a photograph from her pocket. It was a little brownish in colour. " This is the evidence. Sorry but Howard dirtied it when he accidentally spilled some coffee on it."

Relena and Zechs grabbed the photograph at the same time. Dorothy peered over their shoulders to take a look. It was a blissful picture of a family – Peacecraft himself, his wife and their children. Little Zechs was standing in front of his parents, dangerously trying to balance his sister on his young shoulders. His sister was laughing, enjoying the fun. Peacecraft had his arms around his wife's shoulders. They were a beautiful family. One that never dreamt about the dark future that lay ahead of them.

Relena recognized herself in the picture. It was strange, but as far as she remembered, she never had a photograph taken before four years old. And so she would not have been able to recognize herself. But she did. She knew that girl was her. You may ask how. But if you see yourself in a photo that you had forgotten about it, don't you think that you can recognize yourself since you yourself is that particular girl? As we often say, " I know myself best. You don't know."

Zechs remembered the day when they had taken that picture. It was one of Father's rare days off in which he would relax with the family. Mother had suggested taking some pictures to celebrate this special day. Zechs himself had jumped for joy, while still cradling his sister. Mother had chided him mildly. Father had laughed. 

Father was a tall and understanding man, someone who was always busy, a person who seldom find time to shave. Children then were not named till they were four. So often, they were called by pet names such as " Naughty Lamb," " Bad Kitty," " Rascal," " Crybaby" and so on. To the people of Magic Kingdom, names are sacred, a term that will identity you till you died. But always, parents had long chosen the names of their children and so they only have to wait till their fourth birthday to give them this present. This is to make sure that the child pronounces his or her sacred name correctly. Mother had told him her name once but he had forgot. Now everything came back.

" Relena…Little Lily…that was what Mother used to call you."

And it came back to her. Her parents, no, her adopted parents used to call her " Little Lily" when they were exasperated with her. And she detested it for it sound so childish to her ears. They had used it till she was twelve. The couple in the photograph was her real parents, not them. Now she remembered. The lullabies Mother sang to her; her sweet laughter; how Father had carried her high up with his manly arms; her brother's curious eyes on her. It all came flashing back. 

" Yes, yes I remember," she whispered in a choked voice. " But Noin, how did Howard know my name, the name my parents had intended to give me?"

" He didn't know. It was your father's man who told him.  The one who helped him saved the two of you. Howard did not hear from him ever since. He might even be dead now," Noin said.

" Relena," Zechs said. " I'm sorry. I'm sorry I tried to kill you." He tightened his hands and looked down in shame. He could not face her. " I'm not a good brother."

She shook her head. " No. You didn't know I am your sister. Brother…" Her eyes were brimming with tears.

Zechs took her into his arms and Relena cried softly. She was crying for everything that had happened, for him, for her, for their parents and Magic Kingdom. Noin's eyes were moist but she did not cry. She bit her lips in happiness. She had done it. She had found his sister. Dorothy wiped away a tear. She was smiling too. Zechs shut his eyes. He could hardly believe it was true. But it is. He has his sister back.

It felt good to have a family. The feeling was ecstatic and infectious. To be able to witness such an event is heartwarming. But to be able to be part of it is even more joyful. Somehow, Noin knew she would be part of this family. And to see Zechs smile was better than finding a pot of gold. 

But the reunion did not last long. Explosions from outside disrupted their mood. An urgent knock on Zechs door came swiftly after that. A soldier hurried in. " Enemies! The enemies have attacked!"

" Guard the prisoner!" Zechs commanded. " Noin, you lead the elite troop."

" Yes!" Noin left the room with the soldier.

" Relena, you come with me."

" Brother, I want to see him," Relena said.

" See who?" he asked.

" The prisoner. Is he Heero?" 

Zechs looked into her worried eyes. " No. It's his friend, Duo. Is Heero your boyfriend?"

Relena shook her head, face turning red. " No. We are just friends. Do you know where is he?" She sounded disappointed.

It was Zechs' turn to shake his head. " I don't know." Then he quickly added, " Duo won't know either. I believe someone saved him. Don't worry, I'm sure he's okay. That boy has nine lives. Right now, let's get you to a safe place."

Dorothy spoke, " No need, Mr Peacecraft. Miss Relena and I would like to stay and watch the fight. We won't get in your way. Right?" She turned to Relena and whispered, " Maybe the enemy out there knows where Heero is. Or it could even be Heero."

Relena brightened up, eyes sparkling with rekindled hope. " Right. We won't be of a hindrance, Brother. Please, just let us stay."

Zechs was willing to do anything right now to please his little sister. And he could guess what it was that she wants to do. " Ok. Just don't get in the way."

***********************************************************

" Shield!" Quatre yelled and a round ball of cover protected him and several of the Maganac people from the fire spells.

" Go, Master Quatre!" Rasid said to him. " We'll cover you!"

" Be careful!" he cautioned and dashed towards OZ's base. Rasid and two others ran behind him, firing spells at the OZ soldiers. Quatre generated heat into his Cross Crushers. " Heat Shooter!" He hurled it at an OZ officer. The man cried out in fright but the curved weapons never touched him. It came to a stop just before his nose, forming a huge X. The man sank to his knees, shaking like a newborn lamb.

Quatre took his Cross Crushers and positioned it menacingly at him. " Take me to the prisoner now or else."

" Please, please don't kill me," he begged.

All the guards outside of Duo's cell were killed easily. Quatre broke open the door with a magical force and shoved a soldier to a side. " Duo!"

Duo grinned at him with relief. " Hey Quatre, good to see you. I guess everyone knows I'm stuck here."

" I'll get you out." Quatre cut the ropes and helped him to his feet. Duo stood up unsteadily, staggering a little. He had been tied to the chair for some days now and his legs felt wobbly. 

" My legs are numb," Duo said, wincing. Zechs had not tortured him but some of the OZ soldiers had been secretly doing that.

" No problem," Rasid replied airily and proceeded to help Duo from his Master Quatre. He carried the God of Death into the air and placed him gently on his broad shoulder.

Duo was much too astounded to fight back from being treated like a sack of rice. " Hey, where did you get this guy?"

" I'll tell you later. Let's go!" Quatre led the way out.

***********************************************************

Outside, the Maganac troop was busy warding off the MDs. They encouraged one another with shouts and nods.

" Hey Albert, buck up! I'm right behind you!"

" Show these fools our prowess!"

" We must not lose! We cannot! Master Quatre is still inside!"

" Charge!!!"

Noin came out into the battlefield with a fresh group of soldiers. She pointed a finger and the elite ones joined the fight. Noin busied herself with instructions. " Send out more MDs! We cannot risk losing more soldiers."

A flustered soldier dashed to her. " Miss Noin, the prisoner has escaped!"

" What?"

At this moment, Quatre and the others emerged. He soon created a path between the two fighting sides for him to rejoin the Maganac force.

" Master Quatre!" they greeted him with smiles. " Master Quatre is out!"

" Hey Wolverine, you think you can put me down?" Duo asked.

" My name's Rasid." He placed him down.

" Well, you certainly are strong."

" Surrender, rebels," Noin told them.

" The Maganac will never surrender to you!" Rasid shouted and the rest backed him up.

" I know you'll say that."

" Then what are we waiting for?"

The two sides were at each other's throats when Zechs came out. He had been observing the fight from the building. Relena and Dorothy trotted behind him.  Quatre caught sight of them.

" Relena? Dorothy?" 

Duo, though weak and injured, was not willing to give up. He fought with ordinary magic and wits. Upon hearing the girls' names, he looked up. " Don't tell me Zechs caught them too?"

" Brother, get them to stop. Too many people have died already," Relena pleaded with him. It wrenched her heart so to see lives wasted because of violence. 

But Zechs did not need to do anything. The two sides came to a halt with merely his presence. Noin came up beside him. For a minute, no one spoke. Then, Zechs said, " Sister, ask them what you want before I kill them."

" Sister?!" Duo repeated the word in disbelief. " Relena is his sister? How can that be?"

" No, please don't kill them. Brother, please stop staining your hands with blood. War can never solve anything. Let them go," Relena said. 

Right then, Zechs realized the pacifist in her and a surge of feelings washed him over. _Father, you have an heir, he thought with happiness but at the same time, he could not help but feel forlorn. He cannot turn back now. Once a person is in OZ, he will stay with it forever, till the end of his life. The only way to escape from its clutches is death. _

" Relena, it is too late for me. I want you to take over the throne. It is not for me. It is for our parents," he said.

Quatre and Duo stared at each other, then at them. What is going on?

" No!" Relena protested. " You can turn back!"

" I can't," he said sadly. " OZ will never allow me to leave. Maybe the only way to do that is for you to defeat me." The joyful reunion between them was so transient. Zechs would treasure it forever.

" Let's not talk about it now." Relena tore her eyes away from him. " I just want you to let them go."

Even as an outsider, Noin was touched. She wondered about Zechs. Relena was no ordinary girl. She was a princess. And a princess is different.

Silence hung in the air. Everyone had heard the bizarre conversation between the two. Could it be true? That they are indeed siblings? Zechs took out the Deathscythe tablet from his pocket and threw it at Duo. He caught it.

" I won't take advantage of your injury. When you are well, we'll fight again." It was a way of saving his face and to give in to his sister's wish. He needed time to think it all over again. He had never felt so confused in his life before.

The Maganacs were stunned. They were all in battle positions. 

" Retreat!" Quatre ordered. The group moved back, with the exception of the two boys.

" Relena, is it true?" Quatre said. Though his voice was barely audible to her, she understood what he was saying. And nodded firmly.

" Quatre, do you where is Heero?" she asked loudly.

" No, I haven't seen him."

OZ watched them retreat.

" Zechs! We'll be back to fight you!" Duo yelled. " This is to repay you for your kindness!"

Zechs yelled back. " It is not Zechs who had let you go. It is…Milliardo Peacecraft."

" Brother…" Relena began. Noin smiled at him.

" 'Zechs Merquise' was my pet name. It means 'Lightning Count' in the ancient language of the Magic Kingdom."

************************************************************

" Ouch!!! Easy with the body! Easy!" Duo cried in pain. He cursed under his breath.

" If you want to get well, you got to bear with it. And what was it that you say?" Rasid was anointing medicine to the bruises on Duo's bare back. Quatre could not help but chuckle.

" You can still laugh." His friend pursed his lips at him. " Easy, Rasid. Easy please…" He gritted his teeth. " I can't believe those two are siblings."

" Neither can I. Life can be so unpredictable." Quatre gazed out at the window. The Maganac people were resting, eating and talking at the same time. They were back in the realm Earth, at the home of the Maganac people. They live in tents at the border of a desert. Their daily lives used to be so simple and carefree, but now…

" If I can have one wish. I would wish for peace, even if it means sacrificing my life," Quatre whispered.

************************************************************

At Magic Town, life was on its way back to normal. More pupils were going back to school; homes were rebuilt; and adults felt safe to let their tykes play in the streets again. An occasional laughter can be heard from somewhere. Though the war was still on, people want to forget about it. They want their normal lives back. And so they pretend, pretend that things were still the same. 

Catherine sighed again. Hilde stopped doing her homework and came to her side. " Thinking about your brother again?"

" I'm really worried about him. I wonder how he is. If he's here, I always have to nag at him to do his homework. When that boy's with his animals and friends, he forgets about his homework. He won't admit that he forget about doing his homework. He's a darn good actor, but I can see. Oh! I just wish he was back!" Catherine sobbed. Hilde embraced her friend, squeezing her shoulders. 

" I understand, Catherine. Cry, go ahead and have a good cry. You'll feel better." 

Before long, Hilde joined Catherine in her tears.


	16. Chapter 16

                   Chapter Sixteen

Wufei gazed at the cascading waterfall, his mind a blank. He felt his life was like an empty book, waiting for someone to fill in the words. He had one small victory and now he intends to achieve more. He took out his tablet and held it flat on his palm. The green object flew up from his palm and positioned itself in front of his face. Was it trying to tell him something?

_How I wish I were with the rest again, that life was still the same. Maybe I am so used to people telling me what to do, to the teachers giving me instructions that I cannot think on my own again. Why can't I feel the joy of my small victory? That I am changing something for the better? Or is it because…_

" I have a bad feeling," he said to _Shenlong_.

************************************************************

Early in the morning, Zechs received news for him to return to the headquarters. Relena and Dorothy were still sleeping. It was Noin who handed the piece of news to him.

" Must I go?" Zechs groaned inwardly.

" Treize sounds urgent," Noin told him. " You don't want to leave yet, do you?"

" I just found my sister," he answered.

" I understand. Why don't I go in your place instead? I can explain this to Treize."

" It's not Treize I'm afraid of. It's Master. I'm afraid he won't let Relena go even if she is my sister. Remember, we are supposed to eliminate the boys and her."

" Maybe Treize can talk to Master. After all, he listens to him."

" I hope so. Sorry to trouble you, Noin."

" No trouble at all," she said.

************************************************************

" I don't understand, Treize. Why are you sending the soldiers to different part of the realms and asking them to do nothing?" Lady Une asked.

 " I'm not asking them to do nothing," he said. " I have already given them my instructions and they only have to wait for my signal to start."

" What is this all about?"

" It's what I call 'killing many birds with one stone'. The soldiers in the other realms are there for two purposes – to act as distractions and later, to attack. The boys, along with all the people must be wondering what the soldiers are doing there. With this as distraction, we shall proceed to our main target, and that is – EverlastVille. So once I give the signal, they will attack and the world shall be ours," he explained smoothly. 

Lady Une nodded her head. " I see. You are indeed brilliant. No wonder Master left the job wholly on your shoulders."

" You flatter me much, Lady Une."

The two clicked their wineglasses and ate their dinner leisurely. 

************************************************************

" Good evening, Miss Lucrezia!" a servant greeted Noin. 

" Good evening," she said politely. She had just returned to the headquarters.

Noin walked briskly, her shoes making no noise on the carpeted floor. She met another servant and this one merely gave a nod to acknowledge her. Noin recognized her as the mute servant. She was Master's personal maid and has worked here for many years now. Noin wondered how she maintained her youthful looks, although she must be pass forty now. She looked as if she was barely thirty.

The mute servant accidentally bumped into her. She quickly apologized to her, bowing her body ninety degrees.  

" It's ok," Noin forgave her. 

The mute girl scattered off without a glance back at Noin. Noin has just turned at the corner when she noticed that the key she was holding was missing. She retraced her steps back to where the girl had knocked into her.

A wall was partially open. Noin saw the servant girl slipping into the compartment and closing it without a sound. The girl had her back towards Noin and so did not notice her. Noin did not know there was a passage behind the wall and no one had ever mentioned it to her. So how did the servant girl know about it? And where does it lead to?

_ This is strange… She picked up her key._

Noin touched the wall and pushed. It was extremely heavy. The wall moved slightly, creating a hole just enough for a slender woman to enter. _That girl must have strong arms. She was holding a tray in one hand!_ Noin vanished into the wall and pushed it back into place. It fit perfectly, leaving just the tiniest line of hole. 

The passage was dark at first. As she walked further in, she noticed that the walls emitted dim light. The passage seemed interminable and Noin found her head growing a little dizzy. _What kind of place is this? _The passage ended abruptly. _Could there be something dangerous down there?…_She went down the stairs slowly.

Noin stood at the end of the stairs, dazzled by the exquisite room. She felt as if she was in a throne room of a mysterious palace, and someone powerful lay waiting for her. She saw the servant girl hurrying up the steps to the throne chair. A white, flowing cloth covered the chair and an unidentified thing was sitting on it. Noin immediately flattened herself against the wall. Her heart beat with trepidation. Whoever was sitting there, she could sense he was no ordinary being. There was a suffocating aura.

" You are late," the person or thing said. 

Noin recognized the voice. There was no mistake in it.

" Lady Une gave you some extra work? Nevermind," Master said, as if he understood the mute girl. Noin peered from her hiding place, barely breathing. Her whole body was cold and clammy. 

The mute servant was inside the cloth with Master, putting the tray of food down on a table beside him. " No, I'm not tired. Treize is a very capable man. I'll be sad to lose him." Master laughed fiendishly. " So is Zechs, along with the two women. But if you have to accomplish great things, you will have to do some sacrificing. And that is also one of the many ways to make sure no one upset your throne. This is my revenge to mankind… Hmm, delicious."

There was a moment of silence. " Zechs is changing? He sent Noin here instead? I have long seen through him. He is not very committed to OZ. He shall be the first to go. About the six kids…" Another silence. " I know they are our main obstacle. Gundam Magic is indeed formidable. But not to worry, no matter how good they are, they will be just little kids. Little kids…" He laughed again. " Get the joke?" 

The servant girl covered her mouth, as if trying to stifle her giggles. 

_He used us…he wants to kill us so we won't go against him in the future. He tricked us all. He has another plan. We are all his pawns… Noin shifted her feet in shocked realization._

Though it was a small movement, it was enough for Master's acute senses to catch it. " Who's there?" 

Noin ran for her life. She did not stop to look behind.

" After him!" Master cried.

An object flew overhead Noin and landed in the passage in front of her, blocking her route. It was the mute servant. She frowned at her, whip in hand. Noin drew her fists. But the servant proved too quick for her. The whip circled round her waist and hit her against the wall. An excruciating pain enveloped her and she sank to the ground. The servant dragged her back to the room.

" Noin, welcome to my humble abode," Master said upon seeing her. 

The servant shoved her to the floor and released the whip. Noin struggled to stand but failed. She shook her head and looked dizzily at the throne.

" I am after all the Master. Shan't you greet me?"

" You scoundrel. You lied to all of us," Noin said, a crescendo of bitterness, fear and irateness.

" So what if I did? Nothing is fair in this world. Nothing," Master hissed with malignant hatred. " You people only have yourselves to blame. And you only have to blame your bad luck on this. Welcome to hell, Lucrezia."

A bolt of magic hit Noin and she slid across the room, her body smashing onto a hard wall. Another hit her and she went collapsing with the wall. The mute servant dragged her out of the debris for another deadly blow of power from Master.

" You have your fun too. You deserve it," he told the servant.

The mute girl grinned sickeningly. She raised her whip.

Soon, Noin could no longer feel any pain._ Goodbye Zechs…my only regret is not being able to tell you this. Not being able to save you. Take care of your brother for me, Relena. And boys, I wish you all the best in destroying this monster. Goodbye all…_

The mute servant stopped and turned to Master. 

" Throw her out," he ordered flatly.

Her eyes flickered and painfully, she opened her eyes. It was raining and she was alone in a field in nowhere. _I'm still alive…_Noin thought with relief. _I have to tell Zechs…get to him and tell him. _There was no way she could still walk after such torturous treatment. So she crawled, a little at a time. 

The rain pelted down relentlessly. A flash of lightning struck a lone tree and it burst into flames. Thunder roared. Still, she crawled. And crawl and crawl and crawl until she could no longer keep her eyes and mind open.

************************************************************

Relena sat at the window, listening to the rhythmic fall of nature. _Heero, where are you? Can someone tell me where to find him?_

Dorothy joined her at the window. " It's raining," she said.

" Huh?" Relena blinked. 

Dorothy smiled. " I said, someone is lovesick." Seeing Relena looking away in embarrassment, she giggled. 

" Stop teasing me Dorothy."

" I'm just stating the facts. I'm sure he's fine. You don't have to worry. Right now, what you should be doing is think about your brother."

" My brother?"

" He is in OZ, the bad side. While you are on the good side. You abhor wars. He starts it. Tell me, what kind of brother and sister are the two of you when you don't even stand on the same side and support each other? In this case, you only have three choices." She paused.

" What three choices?" Relena prodded.

" First, you join him. Second, he joins you. Third, you terminate your relationship and leave each other alone," she answered.

" I can't do it…" Relena was shocked. But it is the truth, everything her companion had said.

Dorothy patted her shoulder. " I understand, Miss Relena. But let me remind you that as the princess of a kingdom, you don't have many choices. You have to take over Magic Kingdom and rule. That is what you should do as a daughter of King Peacecraft. Your brother has already made it clear to you that he won't take the throne. It is now all up to you." She stopped for a few seconds to let her words sink in before going on, " I know it is a heavy responsible but think of the people. I'm sure you know what to do."

Relena did not answer her. She went back to staring at the window. It had been raining for two hours now. She touched the cold windowpane. The world had never been this bleary for her. __

_Tell me what to do Heero. I need you._

************************************************************

Heero sneezed once, turning his head abruptly away from the pot of soup he was stirring. He looked up at the sky.

" Looks like it's going to rain," Trowa commented.

" Looks like," he said. He was much better now, almost recovered. His full strength had not returned yet. Heero reckoned it would in three or more days. Trowa was a great cook, and a comforting companion. He knows just when to speak and when not to. It was somewhat a relief from the rambunctious Duo. A telepathy news from Quatre earlier had informed them of the God of Death's well-being. 

All five of them possess the telepathy gift. In fact, all magic practitioners do. Trowa was feeding some birds. He threw crumbs of bread onto the ground and birds thronged around him, chattering and chiding at one another. One particular bird, a white dove, refused to let any other bird near Trowa, flapping its wings and biting any affectionate one that dared to approach its 'beloved'. Heero's mouth twitched a little at the corner.

Suddenly, Trowa stopped. Heero frowned and came to him, waiting for him to speak. He knew something was wrong, from the serious expression on Trowa's face. The birds milled about impatiently, making hungry noises. Finally, Trowa nodded and turned to Heero. He threw the rest of the crumbs at the birds and crunched up the bag.

" I received some telepathy news from Wufei," he said.

" Where is he?" Heero asked.

" I don't know. He said he'd meet up with us if necessary. Otherwise, he's on his own."

" This is just like him. What did he said?"

" He told me of an impending danger, something he had felt – just like what we had felt. OZ soldiers are being sent to different parts of the realms, mainly at the centralized areas. The strange thing is they are not doing anything. It's like they are only having a camp. They definitely have something up their sleeves," Trowa told him.

Heero was thoughtful. " Could it be another trick?"

" If it is, then what is their motive? What is it that they plan to achieve?"

" There is a certain war strategy that I have read of. The Japanese on the planet Earth uses it during World War Two," Heero said.

" I have read of the war too."

" To throw confusion to their enemy forces, they would attack several places at one time so that their main intention is hidden till it is over and the people would realize it all too late. I suspect that is what Trieze is planning right now."

Trowa nodded in agreement. " You are right. But I still can't figure out what it is that he wants to achieve. What do you suggest we do?" 

" Tomorrow, we do some research."

************************************************************

Quatre sat on the grass lining the border of the desert, staring up into the starry heaven. His blond hair was wet from the bath he had just taken. His sharp ears caught the sound of someone's footsteps. He turned his head and greeted Duo with a smile. The latter settled down beside him comfortably.

" Looking at the stars, huh?" Duo said.

" Did you hear what Rasid just said about OZ?" Quatre asked.

" Clear as the day. That man has a powerful voice," Duo joked. He lay down on the grass.

" I believe something will happen soon. Even the stars say so," Quatre said.

" Oh? You study astrology?"

" A little. Mr J taught me some. Look over there. Did you see the group of bluish-coloured stars?"

" Those clustered together? Yeah. They are pretty, aren't they?"

" Yes. They are not supposed to be so close together. Those blue stars are usually quite a distant apart from one another. This means something bad is about to happen. And it's the same with the other stars; they are all out of their usual positions. I don't like the look of it. I wish I had studied more astrology." A worried sigh escaped from his lips.

Duo was silent. His eyes were fixed on the stars. " Quatre, what do you suppose those bad eggs are up to?"

" I have no idea."

" Sometimes, I wish the chosen one was not me."

" Huh?" Quatre looked at him.

Duo sat up quickly. " Nothing, nothing," he replied hastily. " As the famous saying goes, ' If you don't go to hell, who would?' And who won't want to be the hero to save the day?"

" I would rather be a simple boy than a hero. Every move and choice we make will have an effect on the survival of the magical realms. What if we make the wrong choice? What if we fail?" Quatre pondered. 

Duo tightened his fists. " And worse, what if we die and there's no one to take our place? Quatre, we have to live, no matter what. I am not afraid of death. I'm just afraid of dying with regrets."

" Duo." 

The Prince of the Desert placed an understanding hand on the shoulder of the Angel of Darkness, forming an even deeper bond between them. 

That very night, the last of the huge realms, EverlastVille, was attacked. With Treize leading and Lady Une's helpful knowledge of the place, it finally surrendered to OZ. Several realms with the soldiers 'camping' were besieged and weakened in no time, bringing them to a defeat and falling under OZ's rule. No one expected it to be so soon. Overnight, OZ's power increased to a frightening level and except for a handful of heroes, no one else dares to stand up and challenge OZ. 


	17. Chapter 17

                  *Chapter Seventeen*

News of the fall of EverlastVille reached everywhere. EverlastVille was one of the largest magical realms, in fact, the last of the huge realm that has not yet being brought down by OZ previously. Now, all that was left were the small realms. Part of the blame was put on the current king and after the defeat, he was stripped of his royal title and banished. No one likes a coward and weakling for a king. They had put up with him only because he has royal blood. Now with OZ as the new ruler, there is no need for him. 

Once again, the unrest began.

" Master Quatre!" Rasid came into the tent, puffing.

" What is it, Rasid?" 

" EverlastVille…EverlastVille has fallen under OZ's rule!"

" What?!" Both Quatre and Duo could not believe their ears. Rasid reiterated the news once more, this time more slowly. Then, he proceeded to explaining the battle last night and how surreptitiously and unscrupulously it was done. Once again, the boys were tricked. And it was enough to make even the mildest of person flare up. 

Duo banged his fists on the table, shouting in rage. Quatre's chest heaved with effort. Rasid went out and brought in two glasses of water for them. Both boys refused the offer.

" Despicable…OZ is despicable…" Duo hissed.

" Tricked, we were tricked again," Quatre said, a little more calm than Duo. " Their main intention was to subdue EverlastVille for revenge. Those…"

" Bastards, that's what they are," Duo finished the sentence for him. " And they'll pay for it, everyone of them. They'll pay for it!"

Rasid cut in, " And the Maganac people shall stand by you. Master Quatre, what's the next step?"

Quatre thought for a while before answering, " OZ would not launch another attack so soon after this victory. They must all be celebrating. Duo, we must look for the others. Heero is wrong in one aspect – the Gundam boys must never separate. That's what the tablets want us to do – unite."

Wufei could punch himself for not realizing it sooner. No wonder he did not feel the joy of that victory! The feeling, that bad feeling he had had referred to the revenge OZ would take. He could feel it, but he did little to interpret it. __

_It is all my fault. I have brought harm to the people. I have sinned. I do not deserve to hold this tablet. If only I have realized it sooner, EverlastVille would not fall, innocent people would not die. Please forgive me…I promise you I will seek revenge on your behalf and eliminate OZ. I will kill Treize and whoever that 'Master' is. I want revenge!_

" I want revenge!!!…" Wufei hollered to the sky.

Trowa and Heero sat in silence. It was late afternoon now and none of them had their lunch yet. And neither did they bother to make dinner. It was too late now, too late for them to save EverlastVille and the people that had died. They should have acted sooner, should have had an inkling of what OZ is up to. After all, didn't all the troubles started with OZ wanting to kill them that fateful afternoon after school? 

Heero has not moved at all. His face was expressionless too, as if he was still in a shock. Trowa portrayed a more thoughtful demeanour than his. It had been hours now since they had received the news and talked about it. Seven hours to be precise. 

Trowa glanced at his companion. Heero did not move a muscle at all. Even he, with all his coolness could not do that. He took his hat off him.

" Are you thinking what I'm thinking we should do next?" he said, breaking the silence.

The Perfect Soldier whispered, " Revenge." 

Relena was still feeling the shock she had felt after breakfast when the news came. _How are they? How are they? Her friends at Magic Town, the professors, the people there, how are they coping with it? And most importantly, _are they still alive?_ Dorothy had gone out for a walk, saying that she needs to take a breath of fresh air. Maybe she should too. She got up._

Two knocks came on the door. It was her brother. " Brother," she said politely.

Zechs was as shocked as her to hear about the news. He had not expected it to be so swift. It was like a tornado had blown across them, so powerful. He had not heard from Noin at all. He had expected a report from her. She can never be too busy to not submit a firsthand report to him. This was not like her at all.

" How are you, Relena?" Zechs asked.

" OZ is so…" she looked at him. " Despicable. Obnoxious. Reprehensible." She turned away from him, took one breath of air, faced him again and said, " Hateful."

Zechs did not say a word.

" Aren't you going to say anything?" Relena asked with a frown.

Zechs stared at her quietly. " OZ is powerful and formidable. I guess the fault lies with capable leaders."

" Heero will stop it all. All the atrocities that OZ have done shall be returned."

" Can he?"

" Yes, he can. I want you to back out Brother. You can still turn back."

" No."

" Why?" Relena cried. " Brother, you know OZ is a cult. And you joined it for revenge. Now that you have your revenge, can't you go? Tell Treize you want to stop."

" Don't be so naïve Relena!" Zechs shouted back. " OZ is an organization that you pledge your whole life to! Even if I made a mistake, I cannot back out now. OZ will never let me off. I know too much."

" Brother – "

He softened. " But you have a whole life ahead of you and Magic Kingdom. You can do a lot of things. You can kill me."

Relena took a step back. " What? No."

" That is the only way to leave OZ for me. And that is the only way you can help me. I am happy to have you as a sister. Really, I am contented." He smiled at her and walked out of the room.

" Brother…" Her voice was hoarse. She sank to the floor, weak. _Why must Heaven be so cruel to us? Is this like, something fun? _

Dorothy ran in. " Miss Relena! What happened?" Finding no answer from her, Dorothy guessed, " You had a quarrel with your brother? Is it about that?"

" Brother…Brother wants me to kill him," Relena whispered.

" It's ok…don't think about it anymore," Dorothy said. She tipped her head forward, such that her long hair covered her face partially, and smiled.

*************************************************************

" Well done, Treize, Lady Une. I am so proud of you," Master complimented.

" Thank you, Master." The two of them bowed.

 Master laughed. " Rise, my faithful subjects. You deserve it. And you should feel proud of yourselves too. You have done an excellent job. I don't know what I will do without you, Treize."

" You flatter me, Master," Treize said.

Master laughed again. " I have prepared a banquet tonight in your honour Treize. Enjoy yourselves, have fun and make merry! All in the name of OZ!"

" Long live OZ!" Treize and Lady Une said in unison.

Nearby, the hiding mute girl smiled too.

*************************************************************

" Sally Po!" an officer called.

" Yes!" Sally replied loudly.

"The names of the soldiers that I have just called out have all pass this rigorous exercise. They shall proceed on. Those who haven't, you have only one choice – get out. Is that clear?"

" Yes, Sir!" the group of forty or so new soldiers cried.

" Those who pass, welcome to OZ. We need good soldiers like you. Tomorrow morning, 7 am sharp, assemble here. Latecomers, I will show no mercy. Clear? Dismiss!"

The soldiers parted. Sally ran up to the officer. " Sir, can I ask you a question?"

" Speak," he grunted.

" Where is it that we shall proceed to tomorrow?"

" You people are the elite soldiers. Need you ask? You are going straight to the headquarters. Count yourself lucky to be able to serve OZ. Some soldiers take years before they can enter the headquarters while others have never lay an eye on the secret location of OZ's headquarters."

" OZ has many bases around. Where is the headquarters exactly?" 

" Why ask when you can see for yourself tomorrow? Off, soldier!"

" Yes, Sir!" The officer trotted off, leaving Sally with her own thoughts. A friend playfully slapped her on the shoulder.

" Yo, Sally! What is it?" he asked.

" Nothing. I guess I'm surprised to be able to get in," she lied.

" So am I. OZ is going to be around for a long time, that's what everyone is saying. All the magical realms are goners, small and big ones alike. It's either you are on this side or you die."

" Honestly, you like OZ?" she asked.

" The truth?" he lowered his volume. " It's for survival, Sally. It's for survival. If you are in it, you can at least guarantee a life free from troubles. They won't kill their own soldiers, would they?"

Sally shook her head. He patted her on the shoulder and left. " No, but they can betray. OZ is such," Sally muttered.

Sally could not believe her eyes. _The location of OZ's headquarters is actually…here._

The officer looked at the new soldiers with a cold gaze and calmly said, " Now that you know the location, all of you are expected to keep this a secret. If you try to divulge it…let me warn you, Master is watching. He is watching your every move. Don't bother trying to escape. The only way out of here is death. And none of you can back out now. It is too late. Come on now! Move it!"

The troop marched forward and entered the gates. Sally was still very much in a shock. The officer glared at her. She hastened her footsteps. No point in revealing her identity now. _Let's see this super headquarters first before I decide the next move. _

The new elite group followed their officer to their bunks. Sally shared it with another female soldier in a room all by themselves. There were not many women on the team. Sally was the only one in her group. While her male colleagues had to share a room, she only has to share it with one person. Her roommate was out. Sally plopped down on the bed. She stretched herself on her soft bed. _This is not a headquarters, this is a palace! Even the bunk looks so…elegant. She picked up her pillow. _It's stuffed with feathers! Not cotton, feathers!__

She got up and went to her assigned cupboard. There were four sets of new uniforms and a silk dress. A note was stuck to the dress.

_                    To all new soldiers: This is a gift from Master. _

_                   Everyone has one. Hope you like it. _

_                                                                                 OZ._

_Can the Master be so kind and generous? The more Sally thought, the more baffled she became. She studied the room closely. Even the table was made of the finest wood. A window overlooked the rest of the females' rooms. The feeling was exactly like living in a palace. __I wonder what's for lunch._

The door opened and in walked in her roommate. " Hi," the girl greeted her. " Welcome to OZ."

Sally stared at her for a minute. " You are…Hilde!"

Hilde smiled casually. " Hi Miss Po. What brings you here?"

" What are you doing here? Aren't you in Magic Town? What happened?" 

Hilde closed the door. Her face had turned serious. And depressed. " A lot of things had happened. Especially concerning Magic Town, EverlastVille. It fell, as you know by now."

Sally sat down on her bed. " Yes," she said. " Those scoundrels. I swear I'll kill them."

" Count me in. Miss Po, what are you doing here?"

" Call me Sally. Miss Po sounds too formal. And I am no longer a principal, remember? Looks like we need to exchange a lot of news. It'll take a while to explain all. First…"

A bell rang. " Lunch time," Hilde said. " We'll talk tonight."

" This is…lunch?" Sally looked down at her tray. Her _gold_ tray. She swallowed once, twice and pinched herself. Hilde giggled. 

" Roast turkey, chicken pie, mashed potato, vegetable salad, yogurt…all made from the finest ingredients. This is lunch? Or are we celebrating something?" Sally said in disbelief.

Hilde stifled her giggles. " Too good to be true, right? I had the same reaction too when I first came here. You haven't seen dinner. Last night, there were apple pies and chocolate cakes for desert. You choose one. The cake was scrumptious."

" What's for dinner tonight?" Sally asked promptly, her hand reaching for the turkey meat.

" Chopsticks, Sally? Or do you prefer fork and knife?" Hilde said.

" Hands will do," Sally answered. Both of them laughed.

It was past eleven o'clock and they were still wide awake. Sally had just finished telling Hilde about meeting Wufei and later joining a camp training new elite OZ soldiers so as to find out more about OZ. Hilde listened attentively.

"…And that's how I got here," Sally concluded. " What about you, Hilde?"

Hilde sighed. " After Relena and Dorothy left the school to search for Heero, I subsequently left too to do some investigating on my own and also hoping I can find the boys. Catherine was pretty upset at first about it but she got over it. You know, I was once a young OZ soldier. After my parents died, I came to live with my uncle, who was an OZ officer. He forced me to join him. He worked on one of the bases. He had never known where the headquarters is and neither did I. I later escaped to EverlastVille.

" History aside, after I left Magic Town, I went back to the base. The war had thrown the soldiers there into a chaotic state for most of them there are old and, frankly speaking, useless soldiers. It was like a retirement camp. I slipped in easily with an old OZ member card I have. I'm lucky that they have not changed the card at all. That day, some higher ranking officers came to choose some soldiers to receive new training to replace the ones that had died in battles. I was chosen and taken here. 

" I still keep in contact with Catherine and when I found out that OZ had taken over EverlastVille, you have no idea how angry I was. I wanted to kill them right away! But I can't. I wanted to inform Duo and the boys that I had found out their headquarters but I can't get out. No soldier is allowed to get out of here unless with permission. And this whole place is protected by magic. There is nothing I can do except to pretend some more that I am a loyal OZ dog." Hilde twisted her face in disgust.

" How is Magic Town right now?" Sally asked.

" According to Catherine, everyone is afraid. Things changed overnight and everyone is nervous. They keep their doors shut and other than going out to buy food, they are always indoors. Everyday, people died. OZ patrols the streets everyday, committing atrocities. The five professors and Howard tried to fight back only to be caught and thrown into jail, along with other brave protestors and innocent people. OZ kept questioning the people about Duo and the others, torturing anyone who did not give them a satisfying answer or whom they think are lying to them. Catherine and the kids lied about the five boys, hoping to protect them. I don't think the professors told them anything either. I haven't heard from Catherine since then," Hilde said.

" Don't worry, I'm sure she's all right," Sally said. " Right now, we have to think of a way to tell the boys about OZ's headquarters."

Hilde frowned. " It's going to be hard. We don't know how strong OZ's security magic is." 

Security magic refers to the security system of a place. Like burglars alarms, radar system, close-circuit cameras…you get the idea. But it is all done with magic. 

" If this place can go undetected for such a long time, the magic in here has got to be very formidable. This means that the 'Master' is someone very cunning. We don't know what tricks he has up his sleeves. For now, we better familiarize ourselves with this place and find out as much as we can about this 'Master' and everything that we need to help the boys get in here. They are going to need all the inside help they can get for this," said Sally.

Hilde nodded her head and yawned. She switched off her bedside lamp and lay on the bed. " Ok. Goodnight."

Sally followed suit. " Goodnight."


	18. Chapter 18

                  _Chapter Eighteen_

Sunlight streamed through the window of an old farmhouse. The day was hot with no wind and so the wind chime remained silent. An old woman tiptoed into a room where a young and pretty woman lay asleep on the bed. The sleeping woman was frail and pallid but given the constant care of the old lady, she had recovered some of her colour. 

" You're awake?" the old woman asked when she noticed her moving.

Slowly, painfully, she opened her eyes. At first, everything was a blur. Then, her vision cleared and she came face-to-face with the kindest expression she had ever seen. 

" You have been asleep for nearly four days," the woman told her. She was visibly relieved to see her up at last.

" You…Where…am I?" she muttered, clutching her head.

" My old man found you lying in the field nearby. He brought you here. This is our house. God knows what you were doing out there. That kind of freak weather welcomes no gentle girl like you," she chattered in a friendly manner. " Here, drink the medicine." She fed her the bowl of medicine.

An old man strolled into the room. " Good, she's up. How are you, my sleeping beauty?"

The woman laughed. " He loves to joke, Take no note of him."

The young woman smiled shakily. Even such a small and simple movement was hard for her. " Thank you, thank you so much for saving me. If not, I would have been dead by now."

" It's what we should do," the woman said. " I'm Maria and this old man is Dex. What were you doing out there?"

" Maria, do you have a pen and some papers? I need to pass an important message to someone," she said suddenly. 

Maria nodded. She understood. " So that's what you were doing out there. God bless you, child. Dex, get her the papers and pen. You can stay here for as long as you want. Oh, I forgot to ask you your name."

" I'm Noin. Lucrezia Noin."

*************************************************************

Zechs could not get any work done. Not when Noin was missing. Treize had not seen Noin. This means that she had not returned to the headquarters at all._ Where are you, Noin? What happened to you? Strange, but he had never felt this feeling before when she was here. This feeling that she was important, very important to him. It's like…as if…he…_

A knock came on the door. " Come in," he said.

" Sir, a letter for you," a soldier said.

" From who?" he asked.

" It's not written here. But the handwriting looks like Miss Noin's."

Zechs snatched the letter and ordered the soldier out. He tore open the envelope and took out the two pages long letter. _Yes, this is Noin's handwriting._ _A very weak version of Noin's handwriting_._ She must be injured!_ Zechs began reading the letter, word by word.

It was a very ordinary letter about an injured friend, nothing important. But clearly, on the letter, mentioned three times, she wanted him to visit her as soon as possible. Why, why did Noin write such a letter? And neither did she tell him how she was hurt. 

_Noin must be hiding something, something that she did not want other people to know, in case it fell into the wrong hands. Rest assured Noin, I'll be there soon. _

" Are you sure, Miss Relena? You don't want to bid him goodbye?" Dorothy asked.

" No need. He is busy worrying about Noin. It is best this way," Relena answered. She remembered the first time she had met Noin. There was something about her that made Relena's heart go soft and warm inside. It was in her eyes. And now it was in her brother's eyes. She recognized what it was. Love.

They walked in silent and using magic, transported themselves back to Magic Town. Relena smiled at the sight of the peaceful town. Now, all she yearned for was a simple, quiet life in which the most important event in life would be her birthday. She strode ahead. Dorothy did not follow.

" Dorothy?"

" I don't think I want to go back," she told her.

" Why?"

" I want to see more things, things about war and peace. You know I have always loved chaos. This is an opportunity of a lifetime," Dorothy answered smoothly.

Relen had always known that her friend was…different. She would not be able to stop her. " If you want to, I won't stop you. Just be careful, Dorothy."

" Goodbye. I'm sure we will meet again," she said, turned around and vanished into another realm. 

The first thing that Relena noticed when she steps in was children playing hopscotch. It was a delightful sight to greet her eyes to. The children recognized her and they waved, shouting her name.

" Relena! Relena!"

" Hello!" she called back cheerfully. Then suddenly, the children took on a fearful manner and bolted indoors. Puzzled, Relena turned round to see what had frightened them so much – four OZ soldiers.

A man who was walking with his head lowered failed to notice the monsters and bumped into them. Hard. He apologized quickly, bowing his body repeatedly. But those monsters were not satisfied. They kicked him on the stomach, punched him in the face and forced him to emulate a dog. One righteous man tried to help, only to be kicked away. Relena could stand it no longer.

" Stop it! Stop it you monsters!"

" Who dare call us monsters?" one of them demanded.

Relena stepped forward. " You monsters, you are worse than rats. No, even a beast behaves better than you. Let the man go."

One of them dropped the man from his hands. He sat on the ground, surprised. Relena's heart was beating wildly. She wondered what they would do to her. Still, she stood firmly on the ground, keeping her face cold and fearless. She must never let them see how scared she actually was.

" Little girl, you are making a big mistake," the tallest of them all said. " For this, you shall be punished." All of them sneered.

" And God will punish you. You will burn in hell and never to be reborn as humans but as worms," she said.

" Get her!"

Relena ran but she was not fast enough. They caught her. " Let me go you monsters! Let me go!" she screamed.

" You will pay for what you have said, wise one!" He knocked her out.

When Relena woke up, she found herself in prison with many other innocent people.

*************************************************************

Duo and Quatre waved to the Maganac people from a distant. The two boys had decided to find the rest of the boys. They knew where Heero and Trowa were but not Wufei. They could only guess his whereabouts. 

" I agree with you, Quatre," Duo said.

" Huh?" Quatre looked at him, puzzled.

" That we must be together. Besides, if we stay together, someone else can do the cooking for me." He grinned.

Quatre grinned back. " Duo!"

" Well, Trowa is a better cook than me and you have better housekeeping skills."

" Ha! Really."

" I swear to the God of Death! Hey, you think Wufei can cook?"

" I don't know."

" I bet you'll get food poisoning after eating his food. And Heero is going to be just disastrous as him."

" So do you."

" At least I can cook instant noodles."

*************************************************************

" You're leaving?" Trowa asked.

Heero turned. " Yes. I have impose on you for too long."

" Since when did you turn so polite?" Trowa joked. " Where will you be going?"

" Back to EverlastVille. I want to check things out."

" Ok. I'll be leaving here too. OZ seems to have pretty much leave here alone."

Heero nodded a goodbye. He was about to go when Trowa stopped him. " Can I ask you a question?"

" Go ahead."

" Where did you get that gun of yours? We don't have it here."

Heero paused. " I brought it with me from the planet Earth. It's something I have hold on to ever since I was born."

Trowa watched his friend leave before turning back to pack his things. With Heero gone, the place seems quieter now. He had to admit he sort of missed his company. At least, there was someone to talk to. New footsteps came up behind him. It was not Heero.

Trowa spun around, ready for a fight. His heart stopped. It was Catherine. " Sister," he whispered.

" Trowa!" Catherine cried and ran forward to give her little brother a warm hug. She then held him at an arm's length to study him better. " You have grown thinner."

" What are you doing here?" he questioned. " You shan't be here."

" I just want to see you. You know, I'm so afraid for you. I'm scared I won't see you again. Magic Town is in such a mess now. I left secretly just to see you," she answered, eyes brimming with tears.

" But how do you know I'm here?"

Catherine smiled a little. " I just know. We are family after all. Our hearts are linked."

" Sister, you don't have to worry about me. I want to battle without worries. This will only affect my concentration. I assure you I won't die so easily," he said firmly.

She shook her head. " I know I am only distracting you but I just can't help it. I just need to see you. It's as if…as if…I know something bad is going to happen. The urge is just so strong. I can't help it."

Trowa's eyes bored into hers. " Nothing is going to happen to you or me. I told you I wouldn't die so easily. You just go home. If there is any trouble, go find Heero, He's going back to EverlastVille. Ok?"

His sister lowered her head, shut her eyes for a moment then looked at him again. She managed a feeble smile. " Ok. You just fight those bastards without any worries! You will win!" she chirped.

He nodded. " Go home now."

She refused. " I hardly ever get out of Magic Town. I'll just do some sightseeing on my own. Don't worry, I'm constantly in contact with Hilde. She has infiltrated into OZ. She's hoping to contact you boys to tell you something but so far, she did not dare try for fear of being discovered. After all, you Gundam boys have a strong aura and she doesn't know how strong the security magic is. An ordinary girl like me with little magic is nothing. Too small for them."

" You sure you are going to be all right?"

" You worry too much," she replied brusquely. She noticed his bag on the ground. " You're leaving? Come, let me help you pack."

Trowa knew she was putting on a show for him. So he played along. No point getting her upset and making her cry. He has gone too far now to turn back. He just hoped the war would be over soon.

*************************************************************

Noin had never felt so simple in her life before. Here at the farm, there is no fighting, only peace. She found herself yearning for such a life with Zechs. Dex was a wonderful man, full of humour and sunshine. He did not allow himself to worry and would always brush aside his wife's concerns and fears. Maria was an affable woman with bright eyes and rosy cheeks. She was easy-going but as a woman, she tends to worry more. However with Dex around, he never failed to make her laugh. They were such a lovely couple.

Noin sat on the porch, gazing at the setting sun. Maria was cooking dinner and Dex was taking a shower inside. His songs and whistles were all over the farmhouse. The chickens were resting in the coop and the cow was having her dinner with the horses. Maria and Dex had three adopted children who lived nearby. They often drop by to see their parents and talk to them. Noin sighed. 

" Noin," someone called her name.

She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she had not realized someone approaching. The person was none other than Zechs. Noin leapt up in excitement. " Zechs! You are here!"

He smiled at her, a genuine and relived curve on his lips. The two do not touch; they just gazed at each other. And smiled. 

" How are your injuries?" he asked.

" I'm fine now. Thanks to my two new friends." Her face became solemn. " There's something I have to tell you, something about OZ."

At that moment, Maria came out. " Noin, dinner's… Hi, is that your friend? Such a gorgeous-looking fellow! Don't just stand there, come on in and join us for dinner."

Seeing no reason to refuse, Zechs joined them for dinner.

After dinner, Noin and Zechs sat in her room. Noin then spilled the beans about everything that had happened to her since she left him. It was a story that Zechs find it hard to swallow. But the faint scars on Noin's arms proved it all and plus the fact that she had never lied to him before, Zechs lost his faith in OZ. 

" I never dreamt that it would actually be like this…" he said, shaking his head. He closed his eyes briefly.

" Neither did I," Noin agreed. " What should we do now?"

" You should be asking what we can do now," he said. " We made a mistake in joining OZ. To tell you the truth, at first I was just as enthusiastic as Treize about serving OZ. But as time goes by, after I had my revenge and later finding Relena, I began to ask myself: Is this what I want to do all my life? Is war something that I really hope to see all my life? Do I go on continuing be a murderer? But OZ…You can't just escape from it. Noin." He looked into her eyes. " I made a mistake. I made a mistake by joining OZ."

Noin bit her lip. " I was sold to OZ by my parents. They were poor and they wanted money. I thought I would just have to make the best out of my life in this situation but I guess my heart has never been fully with OZ. The only way to get out of it is to die. We know too much. OZ would never let us off."

Zechs thought for a while. " Then we will just have to fight back. There are also innocent people in OZ who are giving their lives to OZ for nothing. Treize is one of them. He is a good man, just misguided. Like us. He commands a wide support among many soldiers. If we tell him the truth, and if he believes us, he could help us turn this game around on that 'Master'."

" But what if he doesn't believe us?"

" Then we'll be on our own," Zechs answered simply. " Noin, I would like to see Magic Kingdom again. After that, it's time to start planning for the future. Are you afraid of death?"

" Are you kidding?" She grinned. " If I am, I won't have stayed by your side."

Zechs was glad to have a confidante. " You are one great person."

" And so are you."

*************************************************************

The mute servant brought the prisoners' name lists to Master. Relena's name was on it. Master took one look at it and said, " Kill her."


	19. Chapter 19

              Chapter Nineteen          

Heero slipped into OZ's base in EverlastVille. Treize could be there. And if he were there, he would kill him. These days, there were countless of rumours about OZ, from the soldiers never washing their feet to the possible locations of their headquarters. It was stupid. How did these people find out that the soldiers do not like washing their feet? Besides, war does not give you much time for personal hygiene. It was a piece of rubbish that must have been started by the kids. 

But someone had spotted Treize around. In fact, two people had saw him walking around. Heero hoped Treize would still be here, so that he can kill him once and for all. Heero had explored almost the entire base but there was still no sight of Treize. Could he have left already or was it another false piece of news? 

_Hide-and-seek was my favourite game when I was young. I'll find you, Treize. Just you wait. _

" Let me go! I told you I know nothing!" a familiar voice reached his ears.

" Shut up!" a man yelled. There was a sound of slapping.

Heero peered round the corner. _Relena…_

Relena's face was red from the slap. She glowered at the ground as the two soldiers dragged her outside. The chain on her hands prevented her from using any magic. They shoved her onto the rough ground. Four soldiers were lined up in a straight line, hands stretched out, fiery flames on their palms. 

Relena shut her eyes. _Heero, where are you? I want to see you again before I died. Heero… _

There was an explosion, followed by shouts. " Intruder! Get him!"

Relena's eyelids flew open. The four soldiers in front of her were all dead. Someone cut her chain. She looked up. " Heero." She cannot believe her eyes. " Am I dreaming?"

" If you want to live, stick by me," he told her.

Using his Twin-Beam Buster Rifle, he efficiently killed all his attackers. He grabbed Relena's wrist and together both of them escaped. She stared at Heero's back, then at his hand holding on to hers, and smiled meekly. To tell the truth, no boy has ever touched her before, not counting her brother. Heero was the first.

It was a good thing they had PE at school, if not Relena would not be able to hold out for so long. They finally collapsed by a river like two jaded horses, panting. Neither spoke for a while. 

" I finally found you, Heero," she said, breaking the silence. " Or should I say you found me."

He turned to her and she put on her warmest smile. 

" It was an coincidence," he said. " Why were you in there?"

" It's a long story. It all started after I left Magic Town to find you…" she related her story. 

Heero listened attentively, which was very unlike his cold nature. Deep inside, he was glad that he had happened to be there and saved her. Though he failed to find Treize, he found her. It was all fated. His eyes never once left her as she told her story and by the time Relena finished, she was already blushing.

" Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, embarrassed.

Heero turned his gaze away abruptly. " So Zechs is your brother?" he said instead. 

" Yes. Who would have expected it? Up till now, I still can't get over the fact that I have a brother."

" What are you going to do?"

" Pardon me?"

" Your brother. He's in OZ."

Relena stood up and walked to the edge of the river. " He wants me to kill him," she answered.

Heero nodded. " I would have done the same. Ask my sister to kill me. Rather to die in an enemy's hands, it is better to died in the hands of your family."

" But surely there is another way. There must be another way to free him from OZ other than death." 

Heero rose to his feet. He joined Relena at the edge of the river, a meter away from her. " Zechs killed too many people. His hands are stained with countless of blood. He knows it too but before he met you, he did not care at all. Now he has you. Everything isn't the same as before. A father would rather died than let his son know that he is a murderer and not a hero the boy thinks he is. He also wants to protect you.  If people discovered that you are siblings, they can use you to threaten him. His purpose in life is to rebuild his kingdom and to find a suitable ruler. Now he has done it, he has no other worries. He has passed the barrier of death. He no longer cares about himself."

Relena turned to him. Her eyes were wide. " I never thought about it that way." Then on a lighter note, she said, " Great minds do think alike. He is your enemy, yet you are speaking up for him."

" I am just analyzing his situation," he countered.

" Heero," she began, and then paused.

He cocked his head at her, willing her to speak her mind.

The sides of her lips curved upwards. " Thank you. Thank you for everything."

" I did nothing," he said, looking at the river.

On a silent note, in her heart, Relena added _I really like you very much._

" Relena," he suddenly spoke.

She panicked. _Don't tell me he heard what I was thinking!_

" Do you want to go to Magic Kingdom?" he asked.

She almost heaved a sigh of relief._ Thank goodness._ " Magic Kingdom? Sure, I would like to go. I have only very vague memories of it. Would you go with me, Heero?"

_Yes, to protect you, he admitted in his heart. Aloud, he said, " I have something else to do."_

" But…" she was disappointed. " I really need you. I came out to find you and now you're leaving."

" I didn't say I am leaving."

She brightened up. " You are coming with me?"

" I'm only sending you to Magic Kingdom. After you have decided what to do next, then I will leave."

" It's good enough."

Relena had never felt so fortunate in her life before. And neither did Heero, though he would never admit it.

*************************************************************

Wufei entered an unknown village. He was tired after a long hike and hoped to find a place to rest and eat. One look at the town though, told him that it was deserted and he would not find any food, only plenty of resting places. He broke open a door and sank onto the floor, cross-legged. But fate just refused to let him rest. Outside, a blood-curdling scream announced that the village is not entirely empty.

" Help! Please! Someone help me please!" a girl screamed as three MDs surrounded her.

Without a word, Wufei leaped into the circle to protect the girl. She stopped crying and gaped at him. He glanced back at her. _How dare those bastards disturb his rest! _

Wufei activated his Shenlong tablet and using his Flamethrower, destroyed the three MDs easily. Too easily, in his opinion. He kept his tablet and turned to the girl with a frown. The girl had stopped shaking and was looking at him in awe and wonderment. 

" You are one of those five guardians," she whispered.

" What are you doing here? Why are those MDs after you?" he asked.

" I don't know. I just returned home, you see and I found this place empty. My family's gone and no one's around. Then I saw those…things. They chased me. I can't fight them and then…you saved me," she said.

" You just return?"

" After the war broke out, my parents sent me to my aunt's house for safety. One day my aunt went out to buy groceries and did not return at all. I was afraid. I heard the OZ was coming. So I came back here, hoping to find my parents but…they are gone too." She started to sob. 

Wufei winced. He hated to see a girl crying. It gets on his nerves. " Stop crying. It's no use crying now. It won't help you," he retorted unsympathetically. 

The girl sniffed. " You are right. I got to be strong." She managed a feeble smile. " I haven't thank you yet. What's your name?"

" Does it matter?"

" Of course! You are my saviour. Are you hungry? I don't have anything good to offer you…my bag!" she exclaimed and ran to retrieve her brown bag that had fallen onto the ground. She rummaged through it and brought out two apples, a water bottle and baked potatoes. She offered it to him. " Thank you so much."

Wufei eyed the food carefully. The girl chuckled. " Don't worry, I didn't put any poison in it."

His stomach told him he cannot refuse it. He accepted it and bit into the apple gratefully. It was delicious. Seeing his satisfying looks, the girl could not help but giggle. Wufei glared at her. She stopped immediately. 

" What?" he asked her.

" You look so cute," she replied.

Wufei choked. The girl patted his back as he coughed and tried to clear his airway. " What do you mean by that?" he demanded in a croaking voice.  

This set the girl off again who quickly stopped herself under his hawk-like expression. " I mean, the way you eat is so funny. You must not have eaten for some days already. You look like a…" she gulped when he moved his head forward. " …Starved dog?"

He stood up, finishing his apple and tossed the core aside. " Don't you want more?" the girl asked.

After such an insult, who could eat more? " I'm full," he declared. He began to walk away.

" Where are you going?"

" Does it concern you?" 

" Can I follow you? I have no place to go."

He stopped and turned to her. She cringed a little, then recovered and drew to her full height. She was a petite girl with light brown hair and greenish-coloured eyes. Her pink dress was dirty with dust. " I won't be a trouble to you."

" No," he said.

" Why? Please, I will be good. I won't trouble you. I really have no place to go," she begged.

" I don't want a girl tagging behind me. I'm sure you'll find a place to go to. If not, take refuge at the nearest village," he said curtly.

She held her quivering chin high as Wufei turned his back on her. She picked up her bag and followed. Wufei ignored her at first, thinking she would go away but after half-an-hour of tailing and she still behind him, he finally spun round to confront her. 

" Look, I told you – " he began but she interrupted him.

" I have food."

He maintained his pride. " So what?"

" You can share it with me."

" No."

" Please! I really have no place to go…" Tears rolled down again and she covered her eyes with her hands. " I know you don't like girls. I promise I'll keep my distance but just let me follow you. If you don't want, I won't say a word and you can pretend I'm not here. Please…"

Wufei had had enough. " Do what you want. Just don't cry." He was not an unkind guy. And no, it _definitely was not for the food. He gave her an annoyed look and continued walking._

The girl wiped her tears and smiled triumphantly. " My name's Sylvia. Sylvia Noventa. What's your name?"

" Chang Wufei. And keep your distant from me."

" No problem. I don't want the apple, you want it?"

" I am taught not to waste food."

*************************************************************

Lady Une watched from her window. OZ has been recruiting more and more people. Some people had this glazed look in their eyes, as if they were under a spell. Lady Une was happy for Treize and that OZ is growing day by day into something bigger. But somehow, there is something tugging in her mind, some important thing she has to recall…

The headache hit her again, like a tsunami. She clutched her head in agony, her mouth forming a silent O shape. The pain was terrible. It was as if something was smashing at her brain, something strong and powerful. She dropped to her knees and rolled on the ground. She knocked her glasses aside and the two buns on her head came undone. Her body wrung.

_Something… Something is wrong…ARGH!!! My head! Stop! Please stop! Stop it! Someone help me…No, OZ…What about OZ? What about it? Treize…Master…Something is wrong!!! But I don't know what! Something…Her thoughts whirled in confusion. _

She let out a scream.

*************************************************************

Trowa was standing in a clearing in a forest. The night was exceptionally tranquil and peaceful. He took out his flute and put it to his lips. He had not played it for a long time. He promised Quatre he would play a duet with him. He should at least practice first.

The music floated through the misty air, like a lady ghost in white array. The wind took up this mysterious sound and brought it to the animals in the forest. And these creatures of the night came scurrying to him, eager to hear his concert. They formed a circle, tilted their heads and listened. The babies lay on the ground, as if listening to a bedtime story. The lady ghost of his music wafted through their minds and hearts, sweeping all their uneasiness away with gentle fingers. 

There was nothing Trowa yearned more for than this precious moment of peace. It was something no money can buy, no words can describe, and no picture can portray. He continued playing, his fingers moving gracefully over the holes, weaving tales from his music that all the animals can understand and feel at ease with.

Meanwhile, the Maganac people are busy. The same night, the same moon, the same stars, under the same sky, they raided one of OZ's recruitment camps. They roared defiance into the ears of the OZ and all innocent people, urging them to fight back for their rights and freedom.

And these people, sensing that the righteous power would one day win, took up the weapons which they had hidden under their beds and inside their closets. They raised it high, but not too high, lest they would not be able to keep it in time if the righteous force proved otherwise. Women quietly supported the men and prevented the children from going into battlefields. Their voices rose in harmony, only to be broken into a cacophony of shrieks by the OZ soldiers. But the Maganac people pushed them from the back and they recovered quickly. But still OZ persisted in breaking them up.

Some gradually threw down their weapons, disheartened. But many still hoped, still pressed on relentlessly, believing in justice and the Gundam boys, their guardians. They will not give up so easily. For themselves, for their homes, for everyone, this battle has to go on till one falls down into the dirt and get trampled on. This is war. 

Dorothy, who has been observing all these, only laughed. Her laughter echoed throughout the land, mocking at both the winner and loser. So what if you lose? So what if you win? All you'll own is pieces of earth and an evolved form of the apes. Such is the stupidity of the people. 


	20. Chapter 20

                   ~*~Chapter Twenty~*~

Duo sank to the ground in exhaustion. " Let's stop for a rest, Quatre. I'm really tired."

" Ok." Quatre passed his water bottle to Duo who gulped it down fast. But the water was not enough to satisfy his thirst.

" I think I better go look for water. Be back in a flash," he said.

Quatre bit into a pear. " Look for some fruits too."

" No problem."

With Duo gone, Quatre found himself daydreaming about their schooldays. It seemed like an eternity ago when they had teased him about being a 'playboy.' He smiled quietly, then began to chuckle. That incident seemed so funny now. He tossed his head skywards and closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the fresh breeze to wash his face. 

After a while, he got up and walked to the edge of the cliff. The wind felt better there. 

Unknown to Duo and Quatre, Wufei was nearby. Wufei did not know this either. He was much too busy glancing back at Sylvia Noventa to allow his sixth sense in him to work. Sylvia proved to be a fuss-free girl, and she was even skilled at catching fishes and building campfires. But there was one thing Wufei hoped fervently she could improve…

" Can you walk faster?" he asked, trying to be polite.

Sylvia was sweating bucketfuls. " Sorry but I'm trying. You are just so fast." Then she paused.

" What is it?" Wufei stopped too.

" I need, er…" She looked at the bushes and touched her stomach. " I…"

Wufei rolled his eyes and turned around. " Just be quick," he replied. " And I won't wait for you."

Sylvia dived into the greenery. She headed deeper into the trees, checking behind her to make sure Wufei had not followed her. She stopped under a tree, made another sweeping glance round the area and raised her hands to her temples. 

Can you hear me?… 

A woman answered her. _Yes…_

How is everything? 

_Everything is under control. What about your side?_

_Don't you trust my abilities?_

_Yes, sorry. Except for some unrest here and there, everything is okay. I have it all in my palms._

_Good. I'll try to make contact to you again._

_All right. Er…_

_What?_

_That girl escaped._

_What?! _

_That boy Heero Yuy saved her._

_…Forget it. We shall deal with her later. _

_All right._

Their transmission ended. Sylvia took one long breath to calm herself down. _Damn that kid… She let out a laugh and covered her mouth quickly.__ Kids…I'm one too. We are more powerful than you adults think. She stretched her arms. __Let that boy wait. It feels so good to be out of his shadow once in a while._

Her feet left the ground and she glided through the trees and started to do a little dance. _It just feels so good to be a girl again! To be so free! I'm no one's follower but a master of my own! Her face lit with simple happiness. _

Feeling someone else's presence, she stopped immediately and touched the ground again. Peering out from behind a large trunk, she spotted Quatre alone at the edge of a cliff. It was an opportunity not to be missed. _Am I lucky…Rid the five of their weakest member first and claim a reward…his death._

She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and tied it round the lower part of her face. She stalked forward surreptitiously.

_Duo sure take a long time…Quatre thought to himself. __Anyone knows he likes to play. Suddenly, he felt uneasy. He took out his tablet, which was glowing unnaturally. There is no enemy around here, he and Duo had checked. So why does he have this feeling? This evil foreboding? And his tablet…_

Sylvia fought the glee that threatened to burst out from her mouth. Only a few more steps and it would all be over…

Quatre turned around.

She pushed him.

Duo was on his way back with an armful of fruits and a dead rabbit. _Thanks to my Twin-Beam Scythe, there is no way any rabbit can escape from my clutches. Lalalala…._

Yells of distress broke the silence. Duo froze. _This sounds like…._ " Quatre!"

He dropped the fruits and rabbit.

Wufei was getting impatient. _What is taking that girl so long?_ He folded his arms and started counting in his head. Before he had even gotten to ten, a boy's cries reached his ears. The voice sounded very familiar to him…

His legs took over.

Wufei and Duo reached the cliff at the same moment, followed by a surprised Sylvia. The three of them stood at the edge of the sharp cliff, looking down. Below, a small figure lay motionless.

" Quatre!" Duo shouted down. " Quatre!!!"

" Oh my god." Sylvia covered her mouth with her hands. " Those cries were…" She looked ready to faint.

The two boys looked at each other.  

" Talk later. Hurry!" Wufei led the way down the cliff. 

The last thing that Quatre saw before he lost consciousness were three shadowy figures looking down at him.

*************************************************************

" Heero Yuy created a havoc and saved Relena Peacecraft. What are you going to do about it?" Lady Une asked.

" I didn't even know they caught her. It must be Master's idea," Treize said calmly. He took a sip of his red wine. 

" It was."

" Well then, he would expect us to give chase to him. Get the troops ready."

" Yes!"

Treize offered a glass of wine to Lady Une. " Bottoms up," he said.

*************************************************************

Relena could not take her eyes off the vast piece of land, especially the majestic palace that was erected in the middle of all the houses and buildings. " Magic Kingdom…" she whispered the two sacred words.

Heero was beside her. " Come on. Don't you want to be in it instead of looking at it?"

" This is my homeland, my true homeland. I really can't believe it."

" It is as true as the ground you are standing on," he said. 

They went down and into the city. Compared to the other towns, this place is much more livelier. This is the central of Magic Kingdom, this is where all the actions take place. And the tragedies. Heero's expressionless yet handsome features and Relena's quiet beauty soon attracted the stares of the people. When they realized that the two were heading for the palace, cautious whispers grew to excited chatters. Who are these two children? Where do they come from? What do they want? Could they be royalties? 

Heero ignored them as best as he can. Relena was more amused. She smiled and waved to the children and the people took an immediate liking to her. 

" Must you do that?" Heero said.

" Do what?"

" Wave to the children."

" It is only a matter of courtesy and fondness. I find them adorable, don't you?" She smiled at him. Heero turned his eyes away from her to the palace.

The palace seemed deserted. No wonder the people took such an interest in them. Heero pushed at the heavy door. It opened with a creaking sound. " It's not locked." Relena was surprised. 

Heero disappeared inside and reappeared. " It's safe."

Relena stepped in. _This is my home. The place where I was born, the throne that my brother wants me to take over. She touched the wall.__ And it's clean! She had expected it to be in ruins. She ran ahead of Heero, up the grand stairs, straight along a corridor and burst into a room. _

_My room…it had not changed at all. _I…I have memories of this place. Yes! This is indeed my room, my home, my realm.__

Heero followed behind her, his eyes watching her every movement as she examined every object in her room. The room was left exactly the same way as it is when she left, he guessed. There was even a baby crib. _Someone must have been looking after this place, praying for her return. Zechs? Could it be him?_

" Heero," Relena said, her eyes sparkling with joy and wonder. " Oh Heero, this place…everything…I remember it now! I thought I have forgot about it but no! I mean I was two when I left here…I still remember my home." She was crying now, tears flowing down her smooth cheeks. 

Heero brushed a tear away with a tender finger. " Don't cry. You should be happy."

" I am happy, just that…Oh! I don't know why I'm crying!" She stood still as he continued to soothe her tears away with his fingers. He then moved on to her hair, sweeping it gently behind her ears.

" Smile," he told her. Relena had never seen this soft side of his before. She hugged him, held him there. And he did the same back. Give her one tight embrace. 

" Thank you," she whispered in his ears. " I…"

Heero jerked back and released her. " We are not alone." His sharp ears had caught on some footsteps. He held an arm out in front of him, a fireball ready in his palm. A shadow approached them, growing bigger by the second. Relena tensed.

An old man appeared in the doorway. He threw up his hands when he saw the fireball. " I mean no harm! I live here!" 

" You live here?" Heero repeated his words. 

" Yes, I'm the caretaker of the Magic Palace. Everyone in the city knows that. My name is Pargon. I…" He spotted Relena. " You are…"

Relena stepped forward. " My name is Relena. Relena Peacecraft."

The white, bushy-eyebrow man in a black butler suit raised his eyes. He began to tremble with excitement. " P-P-Princess…Princess!" he stuttered. 

" Hello Pargon. I'm sorry I can't remember you but I was very young when I left the palace. If you want to verify my identity, you can do it with my brother or Mr Howard," she said confidently.

" No need." He shook his head, tears forming. " I recognize your hair, your eyes, your smile…I have after all looked after and played with you and your brother when you were young. How is your brother?"

" He's fine." Relena avoided telling him about his OZ identity. But Pargon only shook his head.

" I know he's in OZ. He came back here twice before secretly. We had a talk. The last time was two years ago. I do not blame him. Poor boy." Pargon cleared his throat and brightened up. " So who's your friend?"

Heero had put away his magical defense. " My name is Heero Yuy."

" It's a pleasure to meet you." Pargon shook his hand heartily. Though the man looked thin, his strength was not. " How about a tour round the palace, Princess? This is such good news. The people shall hear about it later."

" Ok." Relena and Heero followed him out of the room. " You have been looking after this place all these years, Pargon? It must have been very tiring for you," Relena commented.

" Not at all, Princess. All the people help out. We have all been waiting for you to take over the throne and lead us. This is the library to your left…"

Pargon went on explaining each and every single nook and cranny in the palace to Relena. Finally, they went into the throne room. " …And last but not least, this is the throne room." Pargon stopped.

" What's wrong?" Relena asked. She saw it. She saw…her brother. And Noin. They were looking at a portrait of King Peacecraft, her father, hanging on the wall. 

" Brother!" 

" Relena! You are here." Zechs looked at Heero. " And so are you."

Heero prepared himself for a fight. Pargon cut in between them.

" Prince Milliardo! Welcome back!" He bowed.

" Hello Pargon. Long time no see," Zechs greeted him. 

Noin extended a hand to Pargon. " My name is Lucrezia Noin. I'm a friend of Zechs, I mean Milliardo."

They shook hands. " Nice to meet you, Lady Lucrezia."

" Noin will do." 

Relena interrupted them. " Brother, may I ask what you are doing here?"

Zechs turned back to the portrait of their father. He gazed at it for a moment, as if deciding how to phrase his answer. He then looked into his sister immaculate face. " Noin and I have decided to leave OZ. We found out something. I come back here to take a last look at this place before I decide my next move. Also, I hope you can take over the throne."

" What is it you found out about OZ?" Relena was pleasantly surprised. _My brother is leaving OZ!_

" OZ is making use of all of us – Treize, Lady Une, Noin, me…we are all that Master's pawns. After he accomplished his ambitions, he plans to eliminate us so as to preserve his standing on the world. He sees you five boys as threats, Relena too. Now, add the two of us to the list. I have written a letter to Treize, telling him everything, hopefully he would believe me."

" Brother, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that we are on the same side," Relena said, her face beaming. " The throne rightfully belongs to you. I won't take it."

" Pargon, tell her," Zechs said.

The old man cleared his throat. " To claim the throne of Magic Kingdom, one must be free from blood. In other words, unless the person you kill is evil, you must never fight for the throne. That is the rule of the Peacecraft."

" So you must claim it, no one else," her brother said matter-of-factly. " Case closed."

Heero spoke suddenly. " Now that you are restored to whatever that is rightfully yours, I have better leave."

" Stay, Heero!" Relena said. " Stay and help me please." 

Zechs placed a hand on the shoulder of the Wing Zero boy. " Stay. We can work together. If you find it hard to trust me, then trust Relena. Surely you don't doubt her?"

The two former enemies regarded each other. A look of understanding passed between them. " Ok. I will stay," Heero answered. Noin and Relena smiled.

" I'll be glad to serve you, Princess," Noin announced to Relena.

" You don't have to…" Relena took her hands. " We are friends."

No one was more glad than Pargon on this reunion. " The people of Magic Kingdom shall hear about this!" He turned to go but suddenly remember something. " Princess Relena. I presume you have met Howard? May I ask how is he?"

" He's fine, in good health…He's in prison for holding a rebellion against OZ. But he's ok. I met him. You know each other?" Relena said.

" Of course. It was the two of us who worked together to save you and your brother out of here. That man never change, does he? Always so headstrong. I talk too much." He hurried away.

Zechs took charge. " I think it's up to me to make some snacks."

Noin rejected his kind offer immediately. " I'll make the snacks. You three take a rest."

" You don't trust me?" Zechs eyed her.

She shook her head quickly. " It's not that I don't trust you but you have never step into a kitchen before. I'm afraid you won't be able to cope."

Zechs smiled. " I was just joking. Don't take it too serious."

" I'm sure Heero can make better sandwiches than you," she joked.

" The best dish I can prepare is instant noodles. Want to try?" Heero commented flatly.

They laughed, including Heero. Relena had never felt so warm in her life before. W_e are just like a family._

*************************************************************

Lady Une passed the letter to Treize. He tore it open and pulled out the paper inside. He read it without a word, frowning now and then, as if he could not comprehend. Lady Une looked at him, puzzled. Treize put the letter down. His knuckles were tight.

" Who is the letter from?  What did it say?" Lady Une asked.

Treize inhaled deeply. " Zechs. He and Noin want to quit OZ."

" Why?"

" He wants to go back to Magic Kingdom. And he asks me to join him," he said and got up from his seat.

" What are you going to do about it?"

" I respect his decision, but the final word does not lie with me." He went out of the room.

Master read the letter carefully. Treize was apprehensive. _Would he let Zechs and Noin go?_ _Whatever they have said on the letter…is it true?_ " Can I be so bold as to ask a question, Master?" he asked aloud.

" Speak."

" Is it true?"

Master snorted. " Nonsense! It's just a stupid excuse they come up with! I have no such intention! Think Treize. Have I ever lied to you? Have I not treated you well? Even if they want to leave OZ for personal reasons, they should not come up with such a story! And for that…" He threw a sword down to Treize. " …They died."

" Master, please spare them!"

" My decision is final."

" Master! I beg you."

He did not answer.

Treize got up and went out, disturbed and depressed. Left alone, Master mumbled to himself, " So Noin you are not dead yet. But this time, you shall."

Lady Une was waiting outside the compartment. " Treize." His face told her the obvious. He handed her the sword. 

" I'm leaving it to you," he told her softly. " But Une, if you can, let them go. Tell them to flee to a far away and unknown land and never return."

" Treize, how can you…"

" If you understand me, you do as I say." He walked off.

Lady Une was left on her own. Treize had clearly defied Master's order. What should she do? 

" No, they must die," she decided.

*************************************************************

Duo paced the room. " Who could have done this? Who?!"

" I swear I'll kill the person!" Rasid vowed. Duo had earlier informed him about Quatre's misfortune and he had rushed here. It has been more than two days and Quatre was still unconscious. His breathing had stabilized, thanks to the doctor. 

_Whether he lives or not depends solely on him and his will, the doctor's words rang in their minds._

Quatre himself was restless. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He groaned and wrung his body, sweating profusely. He refused to drink any water or medicine. They had to force it down his throat. He looked so wan and small on the bed that Rasid had broke down and sob when he first saw him. It was the first time Wufei and Duo had seen a grown man crying and both were at a loss. Sylvia had calmly taken Rasid aside to comfort him.

Wufei and Duo had had a talk. Both of them agreed that Quatre must have been pushed down from the cliff. If he had jumped off himself, for whatever reason, he would not have screamed in shock and distress. Furthermore, they could see no reason for him to commit suicide. _Something_ must have happened._ Someone _must have pushed him. Or lure him to jump.

" Sit down, Duo. No use pacing up and down," Wufei said. He was sitting on a chair, staring into space.

" Two days! No, close to three days! And Quatre is still unconscious! Aren't you worried at all?" Duo was edgy. And angry.

Wufei turned his head towards Quatre. He was sleeping more peacefully now. No movement at all. Sylvia brushed his fringe aside and placed a towel on his forehead. " Do I have to wear a worried look on my face? I suggest you spend your energy on prayers instead," he said.

Sylvia froze. " Wufei. Wufei, look."

Wufei, Duo and Rasid rushed to the bed. " His eyes…" Sylvia whispered. 

Quatre's eyes were open. Wide open. His fingers twitched.

" Master Quatre!" Rasid cried in relief. " You are awake!"

" Quatre! Are you okay?" Duo dug his nails into Wufei's shoulder. Wufei tried not to shout at him.

" Quatre…" _Something's not right, Wufei thought. __His eyes are…cloudy._

Slowly, the blond boy turned his eyes to them. " Master Quatre!" one of them called him._ Who is he? The big man moved closer. He jerked backwards and clutched his blanket to his chest, trembling. _

" Who are you?"

The rest were stunned. " What do you mean who are we?" Duo demanded. " Don't you recognize us huh?"

" Duo." It was Wufei's turn to dig his nails into Duo's skin. " Quatre…" he stopped and forced himself to go on. "…He lost his memory."

" What?" No one could believe it.

" Who are you? What do you want?" Quatre asked again, his eyes fearful. And confused. He was panting, his eyelids heavy. 

" I'm Duo! Wufei and Rasid, we are all here. Quatre…" Duo tried again.

" Who? Who?!" Quatre yelled and buried his head with his hands. " My head hurts! I don't know! I don't know!"

Wufei held him by the shoulders. " Calm down, Quatre! Calm down! We are not going to hurt you. It's ok if you don't remember. It's ok. We won't hurt you, I promise…" 

Quatre eyed him from the corner of his eyes. Wufei continue to talk soothingly. " I promise none of us here is going to hurt you. You just rest and get well. We'll help you. Everything's fine…" 

Quatre looked at each one of these 'friends' carefully. " You…are friends?"

Wufei nodded. " Just believe us," he replied firmly, with no hesitation. 

Quatre blinked once, twice, and fainted. Wufei caught him and lay him gently back down on the bed, adjusting the blanket on him.

" Master Quatre…who? Who have done such a unscrupulous thing to you?" Rasid muttered hoarsely with watery eyes.

Duo looked away, his fists closed murderously. Sylvia covered her mouth with her hands. Seeing all their anguished looks, she could not help but cry too.

Wufei's eyes burned with rage. The feelings in him tumbled about, indescribable. " Duo, find Trowa and Heero. We need to tell them."

" Me? Won't you be better? They might thought I'm just joking," Duo said.

" I want to have another talk with the doctor."

" Ok."


	21. Chapter 21

                _Chapter Twenty-One_

Quatre sat at the dining table with his 'friends.' Everyone was trying to act as normally as possible. The girl, Sylvia, kept smiling and adding more food to his plate of rice. " I…can't finish," he said.

" Yes, you can. You must be hungry after lying in bed for so many days. Eat more," she encouraged.

Duo was stuffing food into his mouth at a frightening speed. " Ee!…Ee!" he said through a mouthful of rice. 

Wufei ate more leisurely, keeping his head down. Rashid had to force his meal down his throat. He stole glances at his young master. Quatre put his spoon down.

Everyone stopped eating. " I know you are all putting on an act all for me," Quatre told them. " I understand that you are my friends, but I really cannot remember a thing. Whenever I try to recall, my head hurts a lot. You are all upset because we were such good friends. I'm really sorry. Please stop doing this. It accomplishes nothing for you and me. Sorry." He got up and left the table, heading outside.

The group was silent. Sylvia got up to go after him, only to be stopped by Wufei. " Let him be, he needs time alone."

The owner of the house, Mr Benson, came in. He had overheard their dinner conversation. " Is there anything you need?"

" No, thank you," Duo answered.

" I couldn't help but overhear what he had said just now. I have a friend, a doctor friend in Magic Kingdom. He had since retired from the medical world but if you tell him my name, he will try to help you. He's a very good doctor. His name is Doctor Dermail."

" How can we thank you?" Rasid got up and shook hands with him.

Mr Benson only shook his head. " I see no harm in helping good people. He's an excellent doctor. Oh, I'll go find his address for you."

Rays of hope shone on their faces. " We'll set off tomorrow!" Duo proclaimed.

Sylvia smiled happily._ No doctor will ever cure him. He's lucky to survive but he will not ever recover his memory. I shall see to that. She looked around the table. _So… who's next?__

" I'll go and pack up now!" she said and excused herself from the table.

" She's a very nice girl." Duo grinned at Wufei. The latter frowned.

" What?"

" Don't you agree?"

" If you are interested in her, say so."

" Are you dumb or do I have to spell it out for you? Think Wufei, why would she stick to you? She has no reason to do that."

Wufei kept his silent. 

" Hey! Are you listening to me? Wufei!"

" Shut up or you'll be sorry."

They set off early the next day. They travelled half on foot, half by magic. It was evening when they reached the main city of Magic Kingdom. They were all surprised to find a celebration going on. 

Duo stopped an elderly man. " Excuse me. Can you tell me why are the people here celebrating?"

" We are celebrating the return of our prince and princess!" 

" The prince and princess?" Duo blinked. " Relena and Zechs?…"

The man was surprised. " You know Prince Millardo and Princess Relena?"

" Yeah," he replied grimly. " And boy, are we on good terms with your prince."

The man cried, " Friends of the Prince and Princess! Escort them to the palace at once!"

All the people in the city stopped their activities at once and formed a tight confluent round them, guiding the five strangers all the way to the palace. Everyone was so overcome by the sudden and unexpected cordiality that no one was sure how to react. Quatre tripped and stumbled. Sylvia grabbed his elbows and steadied him. 

" You okay?" she asked, concerned. 

Quatre turned pink and mumbled a soft thank you. Sylvia smiled in relief.

The group stared. " Wow…This is amazing." Duo gaped. 

" Close it, it's not polite," Rasid told him.

None of them had ever step inside a palace before. The silk curtains were enough to make any ordinary man go weak in the knees. Not to mention the echo their footsteps made on the hard, gleaming floor. They followed an old man, Pargon, in. He pushed open a door and led them in. Relena, Zechs, Noin and Heero were all seated in the library, discussing something. They stood up abruptly upon seeing the group.

" Quatre! Duo! Wufei!" Relena exclaimed. 

" Greetings to the Princess Relena," Duo bowed mischievously at her. 

She laughed. " You are still the same, Duo. How are all of you? What are you doing here? Are they your friends?"

Heero came up behind her. " Heero!" Duo greeted him cheerfully. " My buddy!" He went pass Relena to give his buddy a good hug. 

" Let me go!" Heero demanded and pushed at his over-enthusiastic chum. Everyone laughed. Even Zechs and Noin. The greetings went around, along with the explanations for Noin and Zechs. Wufei and Duo was skeptical at first but feeling Heero's trust in them, they relaxed. Quatre stayed at the back, confused and a little fearful. Rasid stayed with him.

" Hello Quatre," Relena said and extended a hand. He cringed away from her. The greetings stopped and their attention was focused on him. 

" Quatre?" Relena repeated his name. 

His eyes were wild.

" What happened to him?" Heero asked Wufei. He lowered his head, along with Duo, Rasid and Sylvia. " Tell me, Wufei." 

" Heero, Quatre he…he lost his memory. We found him at the bottom of the cliff. We have no idea who did it to him. We come here to find him a doctor. Have any of you heard of Doctor Dermail?" 

There was a stunned silence. It was Pargon who finally answer. " I know Doctor Dermail. I shall summon him here tomorrow."

" Thank you, Pargon," Relena said. 

" Don't be afraid, Master Quatre. They are all your friends," Rashid said gently.  

" Yeah," Duo dragged him to the front. " This is Heero and Zechs, Relena and Noin. Remember them?"

He shook his head. The headache struck him again. Duo, Rashid, Wufei and Sylvia immediately surrounded him. 

" Call for Doctor Dermail now!" Zechs ordered Pargon who nodded and hurried away. 

They waited outside. The males were all at one side, discussing everything that had happened. The ladies were at the other side. 

" Sylvia, right?" Relena began. 

" Yes. I heard a little about you from Duo."

" A little only?"

They chuckled. Noin leaned against the wall, comfortable to be only a listener.

The door opened and Doctor Dermail came out. He closed the door behind him. Everyone pounced on him. " How is he Doctor?"

" Physically, he's well. Amnesia this kind of thing is very tricky. It can take from a few days to 10, 20 years. I can only give him some medicine and the rest is up to you and him. You can try stimulating his memories by doing something he likes, for example, playing his favourite music, cooking his favourite dish and so on. I'll come twice a week to personally give him a head massage. Hopefully, this can speed up his recovery."

" 10, 20 years?" Duo said after Pargon led the doctor out. " This can't be."

" Let's be optimistic. Maybe it will only take a week," Zechs said.

" I hope so," Wufei said. 

" I'll go see him," said Heero.

" Me too," Rasid said quickly.

" No. Too many of us will only frighten him. One at a time is better." 

Heero went in. Quatre was sitting at the edge of the bed. He looked up when Heero came in. The two boys kept a distant from each other.

" Can you remember me, Quatre?" Heero asked. His friend slowly shook his head. 

" I'm sorry. I have caused you trouble."

" Don't say this. I believe you will recover. It takes time."

Quatre stood up and approached him. " Funny but I don't feel frightened anymore. It was the same with Wufei, Duo and Rasid. In fact, I feel at peace." He stopped. He had talked too much.

Heero walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. " Because we are friends. That's why. You have not forgotten that, at least, not your heart."

" Do you think you can tell me more about myself and my life?"

" Yes, we will all help you."

" First, can you tell me your name?"

" Heero Yuy."

" Are you a prince?"

" No. Why do you ask?"

" I don't know. You just feel like one."

" I protect the princess. That's part of my job."

*************************************************************

Catherine inserted the key to her apartment. _It feels so darn good to be home again!_ She removed her shoes and placed it neatly by the door. She went into the kitchen and filled a kettle with water. Next, she opened the curtains and windows. She was about to change when the door knocked. It sounded dire.

" Who is it?"

" Open the door, Catherine Bloom! Open in the name of OZ!"

Her heart thumped. _What do they want? She calmed herself down and answered the door, putting on a nonchalant face. " Can I help you?" _

Five soldiers examined her from head to toe. " Are you the sister of Trowa Barton?" one of them said gruffly. 

Catherine paused. Her hands were moist. " Who? Who is this Trowa Barton?" 

" Don't play games with us. We know you are his sister and we want him. Tell us where he is!"

" I have never heard of this person. So how can I be his sister?"_ You want to catch Trowa? In your dreams!_

" Is it?" He shoved her aside and barged in. " Search the house!"

" You can't do this!" Catherine protested. " You barbarians!"

One of the soldiers, the one with a beard, held up a photo frame. " Sir! We have evidence!" Catherine gasped. In it, was a photograph of Trowa, herself and the other four boys. 

" So…you know them all," the leader of the five grinned. " Arrest her!"

She ran, as fast as her legs could carry her. She put her acrobatic skills to good use but still it was no match for magic. A magic ball hit her as she ran out into the street. The five soldiers besieged her. " No use trying to escape. You better be good and come with us or else."

Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth. " I will do everything to protect my brother. Go to hell!" She fired her best fireball at him and ran, all the while shooting magical arrows at them.

" After her!"

She could lose them, she really can if she had not bumped into another group of soldiers on patrol. One girl against eleven soldiers…it's a tough fight. Left with no other alternatives, Catherine fought. But her powers were limited, too limited. They fired one spell after another at her. They kept on doing this till she fell onto the ground, eyes open and limbs cold. And still they did not stop, until she was bleeding all over. And they left her there and went away grumbling about how useless she was.

Trowa…Triton…Forgive me…I can't protect you anymore… 

"Catherine!" some of her classmates who were passing by ran up to her. " No!!!"

But she no longer hears them. And neither can she see or feel them anymore.

*************************************************************

Hilde dropped the glass of tomato juice she was holding. Sally tilted her head at her. " What's wrong?"

She stared at the mess on the floor, her heart heavy. _This feeling…This intuition…_ " Something has happened…Something bad."

*************************************************************

Pargon opened the door to the palace. " Welcome, Mr Barton. We have been expecting you."

" Thank you. You are…"

" My name is Pargon, assistant to the Prince and Princess. This way please."

Trowa had barely step in when Duo jumped out from behind Pargon. " Hey Trowa! What took you so long?"

" I had to bypass some OZ soldiers," he replied. 

Heero and the rest of the boys came up. Everyone, except Quatre, moved forward for a brief reunion. " You are here," Heero said.

" I come here as fast as I can. " Trowa's gaze fell on Quatre. The blond boy froze. " Quatre…" Trowa stared at him.

" Let's have a talk." Heero led all the Gundam Guardians in.

It was nearly seven in the evening. Heero, Duo, Trowa and Wufei sat in the library, drinking cups of tea and relating all their experiences and about Quatre's condition. Quatre's goal of reuniting the boys was achieved – at the expense of his memory. 

" …I didn't expect this to happen at all," Duo said. " Maybe we should all just stick together from now on. For Quatre. If he never recovers from this…"

" He will!" Trowa said. " I believe he will."

There was a pause. Duo let out a short laugh. " Of course he will! Our Quatre is no weakling. Maybe tomorrow he will be okay! Who knows?"

Heero cut in. " You met your sister, Trowa?"

" Yes."

" She said that something bad is going to happen?"

" Yes, but I don't understand."

" If you remember, in school, Catherine has always emerge top in her class for her intuitive magic. Which means, her ability to predict danger is seldom wrong. If she says something is going to happen, it might just happen…to you," Heero analyzed.

Trowa leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. " I don't think so. My intuitive magic is on par with hers. Could it be something else?"

" Yeah," said Duo. " You, Trowa and Wufei always claim the top every year. Me and Quatre always take second place."

" But you are her brother. A sister knows best about her brother. I'm not saying something will really happen to you. It might concern you." Heero said.

" Or perhaps she means Quatre," said Wufei. 

" But Quatre is not her brother and they aren't very close," Duo disagreed.

" Whatever it is, just be careful," said Heero. " Quatre is already like this, I don't wish for anything else to happen to any of us here or to the others."

" Others…like Relena?" Duo smiled innocently.

Heero shot him a glare. 

" You want to go see Quatre?" Wufei asked.

" I want to understand him more," answered Trowa.

" Class dismissed!" Duo announced loudly.

The clock struck eleven. Lady Une made a quick reconnaissance of the palace area before muttering an incantation and slipped in through the wall like a ghost. She held the sword tightly in one hand. A servant girl was waiting nervously at a dark corner of the courtyard.

The servant jumped upon seeing her. " H-How did you get in? I didn't see you."

" I have my way," she replied curtly. " Are they asleep?"

" Y-Yes," she squeaked.

" Good. Here's your money. Don't tell anyone about what happened tonight. Is that clear?"

" Y-yes!" She skittered off.

Lady Une looked up at a building. " I'll get you."

Trowa and Quatre sat opposite each other in silence. Neither had spoken a word. Quatre was nervous and he tried to suppress the uncertainty in him. He knew Trowa is his friend, the others had told him that, but he just cannot remember no matter how hard he tried. 

" Quatre," Trowa broke the ice. " Can you tell me how much you can remember?'

A pause. " I…I can't even recall my name. Duo had to tell me."

" You know, we used to have so much fun together back in school, back before the war started. On the first day of school, you were the one who approached me to be friends, together with Duo. I was skeptical. I thought it was some kind of trick. Seeing Duo, who won't be?"

Quatre laughed. " Yes, Duo is a very funny person."

Trowa smiled. " You finally laugh."

" Can you tell me more about our school days?"

"I'll be glad to tell you." Trowa stood up and walked to the window. His eyes were dreamy. " It seemed like an eternity ago…" He looked down at the courtyard. 

Seeing his frown, Quatre rose. " What is it?"

" We have a visitor."

Sylvia was helping Relena comb her hair. " You have such nice and soft hair, Princess."

" Call me Relena."

" Sorry, I keep forgetting."

Relena smiled and turned around. Sylvia stopped combing. " Everyone is equal. You, me, Noin…we are all friends." 

There was an abrupt knock on the door. Sylvia went to answer it. It was a servant girl.

" I'm sorry to disturb Princess Relena but I need to see her urgently," she said, obviously flustered.

" What is it?" Relena asked. Sylvia led the girl in.

" I…" she swallowed once to control her tears. " I wish to confess my misdeed."

_Almost there, Lady Une thought silently. She flattened her back against the wall and slid to the door. _I'll kill Noin first before I kill you, Zechs._ She muttered her incantation and vanished into the door._

Inside, Lady Une waited for a few seconds to let her eyes adjust to the dark. She saw a small figure lying on the bed_. Lucrezia_ _Noin… She crept to the bed and raised her sword._

The sword plunged in. Something was wrong. Une pulled out her sword quickly. There was no blood. She threw aside the blanket. It was a bolster. The door flung open and someone switched on the light, blinding her. A group of people surrounded her. 

" Hello Lady Une," Zechs greeted her. Noin was standing by his side unharmed. The five boys, Relena and Sylvia were all there. 

" You…How…" Une was incensed. 

Relena kept the servant's secret. " If Trowa had not seen you at the courtyard, you would have succeed."

" Relena informed us about you. I was in Zechs' room, discussing some matters with him since I couldn't sleep," Noin added.

" Oh?" said Duo. " You sure?"

Noin gave him a strange look. " Of course! What are you thinking?"

" I failed," Lady Une said. She aimed a fireball at Sylvia.

" Down!" Wufei shoved her to the floor to protect her. The ball went pass their heads and onto a wall. Lady Une escaped out of the room.

" You can't run away from here!" Zechs shouted and all of them chased after her. 

" You okay?" Wufei asked.

" Yes…thank you," Sylvia replied.

Wufei turned a little red. " Come on, don't let her get away," he said and the two rushed out of the room.

Heero and Zechs caught up with her first. They cut off her escape route. They were now in the courtyard. Lady Une had no choice but to fight them. Zechs activated his Epyon tablet. 

" Was it Master who sent you?" he asked as he attacked with his Heat Rod. Lady Une could not dodge and was injured. " Tell me."

She glowered at him. " Master sent Treize after you traitors but he was too soft. So I was given the task. You ought to die."

Zechs lowered his whip. " Lady Une, did you read the letter?"

" Treize told me about it."

" We are all victims here, you, me, Noin and Treize. Master is using you."

" You are lying."

" Une, you may find it hard to believe but it is the truth," said Noin. "Can you remember who you were before you join OZ? You were the principal of Gundam Girls' School of Magic. You were a good principal. Ask Relena. I believe you are under that Master's spell."

Relena nodded her head. " We all loved you. Come back, Miss Une."

Her head spun. Confusing thoughts whirled in her mind. " You are lying!" Lady Une screamed. " Lying!"

" Miss Une." Relena reached out her hand. 

She slapped it aside. " Don't touch me!"

The ground shook and a wave of dark magic rippled out towards the group. Everyone leapt out of its way. When it stopped, Lady Une was gone. 

" I'll go after her," Noin said.

Zechs stopped her. " Let her go. She stays in OZ because of Treize. If anything happens, she'll look after him. Meanwhile, we have to prove to them that Master is not what he seems to be. In other words, we have to bring down OZ."

" I agree," Heero said. 

" So do all of us," Duo said on behalf of the other three.

Zechs looked at every one of them. " Quatre?"

" I…" He looked at the ground. " I don't know."

Noin landed a supporting touch on his shoulders. " If you want to join us, you are most welcome."

" Thanks." 

They started to walk back. Quatre could not help but feel that he understood Lady Une. _We are on the same boat. Both of us are lost in this vast universe, wandering about aimlessly, yearning to see some light .She lives because of this person, Treize. What do I live for?_

" Rest early, Quatre. I'll tell you more tomorrow," Trowa told him.

" No, I'm not tired. Please tell me more." 

Quatre smiled a little. _I live…I live because of them. We are the same, the five of us. My mind may be a blank piece of paper but my heart remembers. My heart remembers._


	22. Chapter 22

                 Chapter Twenty-two

The five boys, Noin, Zechs and Relena were all seated at a long rectangular table. " We will need to gather more soldiers," Zechs said. " Noin and I shall personally see to that."

" Brother," Relena hesitated.

" Don't worry. I won't force them. I'll only choose the best so the weaker and innocent ones will be spared."

" No, I don't mean that. It's just that all these fighting have made me so tired. Maybe I can have a talk with this Master instead and hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement."

" No!" Noin intervened vehemently. " You have not seen that devil before. You don't know what he'll do to you. He's a monster, that's what he is. He has no sense of mercy."

" This, Noin knows best," Zechs said to his sister. " She had suffered under him. Don't be silly, Relena."

Relena leaned back. " I just don't want to see any of the people here dying."

" War means killing, it is inevitable. War is no place for pure souls like you," Heero told her. " You can choose to stay out of this."

Relena frowned at him. " I'm already in this. I cannot back out. I just want to minimize the casualty rate. I understand that in war there is no mercy, which is precisely something that I hate. Why do people want to fight? Is it so fun to see someone dying? OZ must be destroyed; I do not tolerate its atrocities."

" You have become strong, Relena," her brother commented. 

Though Heero did not show much expression, Relena could_ feel_ him smiling at her. She blushed.

" I…I want to help," she said softly.

" Good, then help us to create a more peaceful place to live in. We will be counting on you," Zechs said.

*************************************************************

Relena knocked on the door of Heero's room. There was a muffled "come in" from inside. Relena entered. " Hi Heero…" She stopped. The curtains in his room were gone. Heero's face was hard to read.

" The curtains…"

" I burnt the curtains," he stated calmly.

" Why?"

" I was practicing my skills and I accidentally burnt it."

" Why don't you go down and practice?" Relena was amused. She had never seen Heero in such a sheepish situation before.

" Duo is down there practicing with Wufei. I pity him."

He said it in such a straightforward manner that she had to laugh. Holding her sides, she struggled to speak coherently. " There's…the garden…"

" I don't want to burn the flowers."

" So it's okay to burn the curtains?"

Heero laughed. He really laughed. He just threw back his head and laughed. Relena laughed even harder. She had never heard such a precious sound before. Their laughter travelled throughout the palace, into the ears of Duo and Wufei who were coming up the stairs; to Trowa who was coming out of his room; to Quatre who was talking to Rasid; to Sylvia who was outside; to Noin and Zechs who were just a room below them; to Pargon who was ironing his clothes. 

" You heard that?" Duo asked, grinning widely.

" Even the rats below heard it." Wufei grinned back.

Trowa had just finished practicing his magic and was taking a walk round the palace. It was late afternoon and in less than two hours time Pargon would announce dinnertime. Royalties always have their dinner early, or well, the royalties here always have theirs early at seven. Trowa was used to having his dinner past eight.

" Hello, Trowa," someone called from the back. The person was none other than Sylvia Noventa.

Trowa waited for her to catch up with him. 

" Mind if I walk beside you?" she asked.

" Suit yourself."

The two walked in silence for a while.

" How long have you known the other four boys?" Sylvia asked carefully.

" Almost three years," he answered.

" So you have always been good friends?"

" We are sort of a mismatched kind of group. We were very different from the other students right from the start. And so we stick together."

" Among the four of them, who are you closest with?"

Trowa stopped. " Why do you ask?"

Sylvia shrugged casually. " I'm just curious. Even best friends can turn enemies you know."

" We do quarrel, but I can tell you we are all best friends. All of us know this."

Trowa strode ahead and Sylvia ran to catch up with him. " You are a very cool boy, you know."

He did not answer her.

" Have you ever fall in love before?"

" Do you know you talk too much?"

She laughed. " After sticking around with Wufei for so long in silence, I guess my tongue is eager for some exercise."

He smiled slightly. " That's Wufei."

" He's sort of anti-social, like Heero. And you too. Only Duo is talkative."

" Heero used to complain that it's our misfortune."

Sylvia laughed again. Trowa glanced at her. _She's rather pretty._

" What about Quatre?"

A pause. She realized her mistake. " My apologies, I shan't ask."

Trowa stared ahead. " Quatre's really the one who got us all together. He isn't as exuberant as Duo or as quiet as Heero. He's somewhere in between, always there for any of us. He listens when Duo chatters and speaks to fill up the silences for the three of us. Little by little, we began to open up but now, because of the war, we clam ourselves up again. It's a mistake. This kind of thing should never happen to such a gentle soul."

Sylvia's footsteps faltered. He turned back to look at her. " War is so horrible," she muttered. " I wish it would be over soon." She took a deep, refreshing breath and smiled. " But no matter what, we all got to live, right?"

" You are a strong girl," he told her.

She shook her head. " You boys are strong. I just try to be strong. Hey, there's Duo!" She grinned and grabbed his wrist. " Come on, let's see what he's up to."

She pulled him forward.

*************************************************************

Lady Une knelt before Master, seeking for his forgiveness. Without a word, Master threw a dagger out at Lady Une from behind his protective white cover. She could not dodge in time.

" Lady Une!" Treize pulled out the dagger and held her trembling body. " Master –"

" Incompetent rat. Not only have you failed, you have put them on their guard. You deserve to die," he said angrily.

" On my account please let her go," Treize said. " It's all my fault. I told her to show them mercy."

" Treize, you do not display any mercy before an enemy. Zechs may be your friend but that's in the past. I would tolerate no more failures. Anyone who stands in my way must die. Understand? Zechs can never escape from OZ. Oh, I have a good piece of news. Catherine Bloom, sister of Trowa Barton, is dead. Isn't that wonderful for him?" Master howled with laughter. 

Trieze did not laugh with him. He bit his lips.

Master stopped laughing. " Get out, I don't want to see her face. I shall pardon her on your account, Treize. Take her in hand."

" I thank you, Master." Treize helped Lady Une out. 

One they were out of the secret compartment, Lady Une suffered another relapse. She rolled on the ground in pain, her head bursting with pain.

" Une!" Treize caught her. " Une, what's wrong?"

Une only screamed out her agony. She shivered violently, twisting her body in strange angles. " Help me…Treize…"

Treize hugged her close to him. " I'm here, Une. Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm right here."

She rolled her eyes upward, her pupils hidden behind her eyelids. "OZ…Trieze…principal…evil intention…the world…" She was not making any sense. 

Une fainted.

He embraced her even harder. " Une…"

_I don't know what's right or wrong anymore. I don't know whom to trust. Une…. He picked up the weak shell of Lady Une and carried her all the way to the doctor. _

*************************************************************

" Hilde wait!" Sally cried as she ran after her.

Hilde did not stop. " Something has happened to Catherine, I know it! I haven't been able to contact her at all!"

Sally blocked Hilde's path. " Calm down, Hilde! Listen to me!" She lowered her voice. " You can't just go out like this. Think of your situation now. I know you are worried about your friend but if you would listen to me, I can a suggestion."

" What suggestion?"

Sally led her back into the room. After she had safely shut the door behind them, she sat down on the bed beside the anxious teenager.

" Tell me, Sally," Hilde said.

" As you know, my group is to have a real-life exercise tomorrow. We will be attacking a small village not far away from here. I'll make an excuse, leave my group and secretly make a replica of myself. I will send this replica back to the group and make a trip back to Magic Town to find your friend for you. It shan't take more than an hour, I hope."

" Are you sure you can do it? Won't it be dangerous for you?"

" Save your worries for your friend. Nothing will happen to me."

Hilde's eyes were moist. " Thank you, Sally. You are indeed a friend."

The next day, Hilde went about doing her task as normally as she can. Sally left with her group at seven and they hiked to a small village. Halfway through, Sally ran up to her leader and excused herself, stating a tummy ache excuse. Disgusted, he gruffly excused her for five minutes. Sally rushed behind a huge boulder. She checked to ensure her solitariness and raised her arms. 

A few minutes later, ' Sally' ran out to join her group, who had already gone on without her. The real Sally peeped out from behind the boulder. Satisfied with her work, she hurried away in the opposite direction.

When Sally arrived at Magic Town, the first place she headed for was the school. Catherine was rather popular with the students and they would surely have an inkling of her whereabouts. 

_This school sure brings back memories for me. Three girls paused upon seeing her. " Miss Po!" They recognized her. Sally waved. She recognized them as the students of Gundam Girls' School of Magic. The school was now a sanctuary for the homeless and needy. _

" Hi girls, how have you been? You are Jamie, right? And this must be Eileen and Shiina," Sally said. 

The three were thrilled. " You still remember us!" the blond-hair Shiina exclaimed.

" What are you doing back here, Miss Po?" Jamie asked. She has a habit of pushing up her spectacles whenever she gets excited.

" I'm here to find Catherine Bloom. You were in the same class right? Do you know where she is?"

A dead silence fell upon the three gregarious girls. 

" Jamie? Shiina? Eileen?" Something was wrong. " Tell me please."

Shiina cleared her throat. " Catherine…she…"

" What has happened to her?" Sally prepared herself for the worst.

" …The OZ soldiers killed her. We saw it with our own eyes, along with many others."

" She was trying to protect Trowa and the four boys," Eileen cut in. 

" We buried her outside the town. The cemetery here is already full," Jamie said quietly.

Though Sally was not close to Catherine, she was after all one of her students and a very courageous girl. " Take me to her grave."

They showed her the grave. Someone had placed a white lily next to her name. It was a simple grave made in haste but nevertheless, it oozed with righteousness and the respect her old classmates felt in her. Eileen was crying.

" She was a good person…" 

Sally bowed thrice and turned to the three friends. " Thank you for showing me her grave. You did a nice job."

" We all liked Catherine," Jamie said.

" Does Trowa know about this?"

She shook her head. " No. We don't know how to contact him."

" Leave the rest to me."

Hilde's legs failed her. She sank to the floor, tears flowing down her face. " C-C-Catherine…"

Sally put an arm around her. " Take it easy, Hilde."

" Heaven is so unfair!" Hilde sobbed, covering her face with her hands. " This is so unfair…H-How long has it been?"

" Today is the fourth day."

This made Hilde cry even louder. Sally pulled her nearer, and like a good sister should be, allowed her to cry and cry until she could cry no more.

*************************************************************

Duo and Trowa were outside Quatre's room, waiting for the doctor to finish his examination of their companion. Sylvia was with them, just as apprehensive as they were about the result. As soon as Doctor Dermail came out, they knew the answer. His face had the same gloominess as that from his last two visits.

" I'm afraid this might take a long time. His condition is very…special."

" What do you mean?" Duo asked.

" I used mental penetration on him just now. It's a rare treatment in which a doctor forces out the memories in him. Only highly skilled doctors can use this magical treatment. When a person loses his memories, there is a dark cloud in his mind that is blocking all his previous memories. Mental penetration removes this dark cloud, or part of it, and slowly releases all his memories. We doctors do not usually opt for this method because not only does it exhaust us a lot, we prefer to let the patient recover naturally. As far as I know, there are only five doctors who can currently perform this 'surgery'.

" Quatre, he…I just cannot break through this dark cloud in him. Something is preventing me from doing so. It's like this dark cloud in him doesn't want any outside force to disturb him. There are only two reasons – either he himself does not want to recover or someone more powerful is controlling him."

" What?" said Duo in disbelief. " How can this be?"

" Quatre does want to remember," Trowa said. " So someone else must be doing this to him"

" Who could be so evil?" Sylvia shook her head. " Poor Quatre."

Doctor Dermail adjusted his glasses. " The only way to save him now is to seek out the culprit. There's nothing more I can do."

From behind the three teenagers came Heero's voice. " Thank you Doctor. You have done your best."

They turned round to see Heero and Wufei. 

" I'll take my leave then," the doctor excused himself and walked away. The five of them waited till he was gone before they went in to see Quatre. The blond boy was looking out of the window. 

Without turning around, he said to them, " The doctor has told me everything."

" Don't worry, we'll find that bastard for you!" Duo promised.

" But do you know who that person is?"

Silence.

Quatre's face was strangely expressionless and placid. " It doesn't matter. In life, we should always look forward. No one should be left stranded in the past. It makes life too miserable. Much as I want to find that person, we should think about the future too. What if we never find him? What if I never recover? Instead of wasting our energy looking for an unknown stranger, why don't we try to create a future?" He faced his friends. " Would you help me find my tomorrow?"

Though each of the boys was shaking with rage and despair, they knew what he had said is true. 

_You are so brave, my friend._

" Quatre," Trowa answered for them. " We will help you. You can trust us."

Quatre nodded and managed a smile. Inside his right pocket, his fist was closed tightly upon his Sandrock tablet. And his heart cried silently.


	23. Chapter 23

*_*Chapter Twenty-three*_*

Hilde could not concentrate on her work. So Sally applied a sick leave for her. During lunchtime, she brought Hilde's lunch tray to her. Hilde was seated at her desk, a pen posed in mid-air. The paper on the table was clean.

" Stupid of me…" she told her roommate. " I thought of writing Trowa a letter and then I realise I'm in OZ and I don't know where he is."

Sally put down the tray and took the pen away from her. " Hilde –"

" Don't worry, I'm okay now. I'm sorry I have made you worried. I'm okay now. But my grief is nothing compared to Trowa's. We just got to inform him." She stood up. " I thought of telepathy but I'm afraid that I might give the game away for both of us. OZ has strong security magic."

Sally stood by her. " I agree with you. But her brother has to know what his sister has done for him."

" But I'm also scared how this will affect him."

" He'll only turn out two ways – weaker or stronger."

She thought for a while. " Let's risk it. I'll contact Duo."

Hilde closed her eyes and knitted her brows. She tried to get her message out, tried to get it out…_Duo, it's Hilde. Can you hear me? Is Trowa with you? Duo!… Sweat trickled down. _Duo, can you hear me? If you can. Please answer me, I need your help, I need to tell Trowa something. Duo!__

" It's no use," Hilde said. " I just can't get it out. Maybe Duo's too far away, maybe I'm not strong enough."

" We'll try together." Sally held her hands.

" Ok."

" Concentrate, concentrate hard, don't let anything disturb you."

Duo…can you hear us? Is Trowa with you? We have something to tell him. Duo, answer us please! Duo… 

Duo was bored. " Is chess really so fun?" He eyed Trowa and Wufei suspiciously. After five rounds, the two of them still remained a tie. Quatre observed the tournament with utmost interest.

Neither boy answered him. Relena and Sylvia were giggling. _Girls…_ " You talking bad about me?" Duo asked.

" You don't have anything good for us to talk about," Sylvia retorted. Relena laughed. 

Heero had fallen asleep on the couch. Duo crept up to him. 

" Don't you dare," he warned.

" Hey! I thought you were asleep!"

" He's not sleeping," Wufei answered for him. " That's called meditating-cum-sleeping."

" You must be an expert in that since you do it so often," Duo scoffed. " I'm so B-O-R-E-D."

" Maybe you can go help Zechs and Noin," Heero suggested.

" I don't want to be a light bulb."

Duo…can…hear…important… 

" Who's there?" Duo shouted.

" What is it?" Relena asked.

" I thought I heard someone call me."

Duo…me Hilde…you hear us?… 

Duo realized Hilde was sending him telepathy. " It's Hilde! She's sending me telepathy!" 

Everyone became alert.

Speak up Hilde! I can't hear you! 

_Duo?…_

_Hey, are there two of you?_

_What? Duo, can you hear us…It's us…Sally and Hilde…_

_What? What did you say? I can't hear you clearly!_

" What did she say?" Heero asked.

" I don't know. It's too faint. Sally's with her I think."

" Use your tablet to amplify it."

" Oh, right. Stupid of me."

" Glad you know that."

" Do you always have to put me down?"

" Can the two of you please stop bickering?" Trowa chided.

Duo… 

Duo clutched his tablet. It glowed softly. _Yo Hilde! Sally! How are you doing?_

_Duo! I'm so glad to hear you! _

_Hey Hilde, what is it?_

A pause.

What's wrong? Can just one of you tell me? 

Sally's voice came through._ This has to do with Trowa. We want you to tell him…_

The two girls told me all about Catherine.

What?! This is impossible! This is… 

_Tell him that, Duo. Hilde seemed to be choking._ We can't talk to you for long. We need to go now or we'll get caught. Good luck in whatever you are going to do next. __

Their connection was cut off.

Heero and the rest were watching him, all impatient for the news. Duo's face told them that it was no good news. From a cheerful hi-old-friend face to an utterly shocked, crestfallen expression, the transformation was too great to be ignored. 

Duo's tablet ceased its glow. 

" What did Hilde say? Where is she? And Sally?" Relena asked him.

" Who are Hilde and Sally?" Sylvia asked.

" They are our friends. Sally used to be our principal," Relena elucidated.

" Duo?" Heero sensed something was wrong.

Duo's eyes fell on Trowa. 

" Duo?" whispered Trowa. He was afraid to ask, scared to hear what his friend has to say. Duo's composure said it all…the news is _not_ good.

For a moment, Duo could not find his voice, no, he did not think he has a voice. He swallowed heavily, cleared his throat and finally spoke in a raspy tone, " Trowa…Catherine, your sister…is dead."

Complete silence. 

" W-what did you say?" Trowa hands trembled uncontrollably. He felt as if his maker had forgotten to give him lungs. Either that or there was lack of oxygen in the air.

" OZ soldiers…" Duo forced himself to break the news. " …Killed her. She was trying to protect you and us. They wanted to know our whereabouts and everything about us. Catherine fought with them. She couldn't fight so many of them. And they killed her…Sally had gone back to Magic Town and found out about it. Three of her friends had buried her outside of town."

" No…" Relena shook her head in disbelief. " She's still so young…"

It was a shock to all of them. None of the boys say a word. Quatre placed a fist on his heart._ It hurts…He looked at Trowa. Half of the boy's face was covered by his long fringe. He spun around abruptly and left the group silently, face down._

" Trowa…" Sylvia started to go after him.

Wufei stopped her. " He wants to be alone."

" How do you know?"

" I would want to be alone too if my sister died."

" I'll kill them… I swear I'll kill them!" Duo cursed them under his breath.

" Please excuse me," Relena said and she left the room too. Sylvia and Heero went after her. 

The three boys looked at one another. 

" Those demons won't even spare a woman. Too much…" Wufei said to no one in particular.

" I wonder how Trowa will take it," Duo said.

Silence.

Zechs caught Relena as she knocked into him. " What's wrong, Relena? Why are you crying?" 

" Brother…" She choked on her tears. Noin took out a handkerchief and helped wiped away her tears.

Heero came up from behind her. " Catherine, Trowa's sister, was killed by OZ."

" Oh my god." Noin glanced up at Zechs. 

" Do you know something that we don't?" Heero asked suspiciously.

Zechs nodded at Noin. " If you still remember, we were initially sent to kill you five boys, Relena, Hilde Schbeiker and Catherine Bloom," she said. " But later on, we were ordered not to go after Hilde Schbeiker and Catherine Bloom because they'll…died. That monster had dreamt about it. But Catherine being killed, it could just be a coincidence."

" You mean that – man can see into the future?" said Sylvia.

Zechs nodded his head. " Yes, I believe so. He's afraid that you people will defeat him."

" Which means we can kill him and avenge for Catherine," Heero answered. A small smile crept onto his lips. " Just you wait OZ. You'll pay for what you have done."

" I wonder how Trowa feels," Relena muttered. 

*************************************************************

Trowa simply walked and walked. There was nothing in front of him; everything around him was dark and cloudy. He had never felt so terrified in his life before, so alone, so lost…_Sister, I have no idea I depended on you so much for my strength. _

Images of their last meeting flashed back to him.

_What are you doing here? You shan't be here._

_I just want to see you. You know, I'm so afraid for you. I'm scared I won't see you again…I know I am only distracting you but I just can't help it. I just need to see you. It's as if…as if…I know something bad is going to happen……_

_As if I know something bad is going to happen…Trowa shut his eyes for a few seconds. He thought about what Heero had said some days before._

_Catherine had always emerged top in her class for her intuitive magic. Which means, her ability to predict danger is seldom wrong…._

He had no idea Catherine could actually predict her own death, though she did not realise it herself either._ So that was what you mean, what you mean about not seeing me again. That meeting was supposed to be our last farewell. If only I had done my part better as a brother, if only I had taken you with me, if only I had said I love you, if only…_

His footsteps ceased. _But it is all too late now, too late now. Why? Why? He stared at his own feet, willing himself not to cry. But a deluge threatened him. _I am not ready, I am not ready to let you go. Not ready…Sister…_ This feeling is so painful, this farewell._

He started to run. And his tears inundated his soul. 

*************************************************************

Quatre was behind him, watching him, feeling him. He can understand his pains, this overwhelming and unbearable, sudden and violent loss. _Trowa…_

Quatre cannot bear to see anyone so depressed. _This seems like my fault. They would tell me I have nothing to do with it but no, I just can't shake off this feeling. If only, if only I have my memories back, if only I can remember, then perhaps I can help._

He froze. _Is that how you feel, Trowa? The regrets, the thousands of apologies and I-love-you you wish you had said to her but can never do it now? Is that how I feel? The things I should have done to prevent something but I didn't because I'm too weak and powerless? Or…Quatre bit his lower lip.He took out his Sandrock tablet, which had not glowed once since he lost himself. _

" Or I should have given you away to someone better than me," he said.

And the tablet remained a deep yellow. 

*************************************************************

Heero and Wufei were there at the back gate when Trowa returned two days later, drenched from the rain he was caught in just now. His face was pale and visibly subdued. None of the boys had ever seen him like this before, so lost and agonized. He dragged his feet as the two led him back to his room where Noin and Relena had gotten ready a bath and clean clothes for him. 

" Please leave me alone," he told them, after refusing help from them. 

" You'll catch a cold," Noin insisted.

" Trowa," Heero began to say but stopped himself to rephrase his words. " I'm sure you understand your sister can never come back to life. Think about what she had taught you. Do you think she wants to see you like this? Cry if you must but remember what she wants you to do. If not, she would have died for nothing."

Without a backward glance, he went out of the room. Wufei squeezed his shoulder and left him too. The girls followed without another word. Noin closed the door. Outside, Zechs, Duo and Quatre were waiting.

" How is he?" Duo asked.

" Still the same," Noin answered.

" It takes time," Quatre said. " The wound takes a long time to heal."

Heero looked at him. " Instead of waiting for it to heal, make it heal."

Zechs' head turned towards the closed door. " He'll be fine, he'll be."

Sylvia peeked out from the corner. She wore no expression at all.

Trowa slumped down to the floor, back against the hard wall. He drew his knees to his forehead and closed his eyes. He was wet. He did not care. Soon, he found himself drifting away into a familiar state of unconsciousness, into the land of dreams.

He saw her. He saw his sister. She was just in front of him, dressed in a white-coloured garb, ever so beautiful and benign. Her arms stretched out to him. " Trowa," she called.

He ran to her as fast as he can but before he can reach her, she stopped him. " Cry if you must but remember what I want you to do. A wound takes time to heal, but instead of waiting for it to heal, make it heal…Make it heal…" She vanished into the darkness.

" Sister!" he cried. " Sister!"

There was no response. Left alone, he sank down to the floor again. _Heero had just said those words too. Sister, I'll remember that. Thank you. Heaven is a wonderful place isn't it?_

Trowa touched his heart gently. The pain will always be there but no matter what, you just have to live with it. Time does not stop for you; the sand in an hourglass will flow and flow until one of its glass compartments is empty. But then, it can be turned around and the sand will flow again. This everlasting circle of life, like an endless waltz; the three beats of heaven, earth and hell will always be there. It has always been there. You just choose what you want to live like. 

Trowa opened his eyes. He stood up straight, walked to the bed, and picked up his dry clothes.

*************************************************************

Zechs convened a meeting next morning. Everyone sat with grim faces. Quatre joined them at the last minute, though they had told him he need not do it. Trowa was not there. Quatre stared at the empty seat opposite him.

Zechs said in a commanding voice, " We will be setting off to EverlastVille three days later. We must win back at least half of EverlastVille. This is not only for the people and for justice, it is also for Catherine and everyone who has died in innocence." He placed a letter on the table. " I'll be sending this challenge letter to Treize. He will receive it latest by tomorrow evening."

Noin reported, " Up till now, we have only about three thousand soldiers. I have sent letters to the other realms for help, and hopefully, there will be answers soon. But for now, three thousand soldiers against half of EverlastVille is more than enough. They are all good soldiers who do not died easily."

" You have worked hard," said Relena.

" This is nothing compared to the sufferings of the people," Zechs said.

There was a knock on the door. Everyone sat up. The person who came in was none other than Trowa.

" Trowa!" Duo said. Everyone was surprised to see him. 

" I hope I'm not too late to join all of you," he said, sitting down opposite Quatre. 

" You are more than welcome," Zechs told him. Smiles were passed round the table. 

" Are you okay?" Duo asked.

" Thanks to all of you, I can now put my misery behind and look ahead."

" All right!!!" Duo thumped him on the back. Trowa coughed.

" He'll suffer internal injuries if you continue doing that," Heero said.

" Worse, he'll kill him with his elation," Wufei said.

The two shared grins.

" You two are so bad," Duo stuck out his tongue. " You are always picking on me."

" Welcome back," Quatre said with a smile.

" Thanks." He gave him a little, tired smile.

" Shall we proceed?" Zechs raised his voice. 

Noin settled back with a contented sigh. Good, things are going back on track again.

*************************************************************

Treize read the letter. Lady Une lay on the bed beside him. He folded the letter neatly and put it back into the envelope. " Tell me what to do, Une," he said to her, stroking her silky brown hair.  

He had never felt so lost in his life before. " I need you, Une. I really do need you."

*************************************************************

The five boys, Rasid, Zechs, Noin and five hundred soldiers reached EverlastVille. " Are you sure we can beat them?" Rasid asked.

" We have the best here," Zechs answered, smiling at the five boys. " It doesn't matter if there are only a few of us. Quatre, are you sure you want to join us?"

" Please, I really want to do it," Quatre said.

" I'll look out for him," Noin volunteered. 

" This is a war, Quatre. Remember that," Wufei said. " Don't force yourself if you can't."

" I'll be here for you, Master Quatre," Rasid said firmly.

" Don't worry, I can do it. You have been coaching me." Quatre replied.

" We were not coaching you, we were only helping you to recall your skills," Trowa corrected him.

" All right," Zechs straightened to his full height. " Let's go!"

They marched forward.

It took the group merely two days to get half of EverlastVille back from OZ. A quarter of the soldiers stationed there fled upon seeing them. Those that were courageous enough to stay and fight were all beaten. With Zechs and Heero as their capable leaders, the group was greatly motivated. Quatre had a little trouble at first – his benevolent heart could not bear to see anyone getting hurt.  But as the battle wore on, he soon got over it. Rasid, Noin and the rest kept a lookout for him. 

Towards the end of the second day, as the battle drew to an end, everyone was in high spirits. Duo capered about jubilantly, pulling Quatre into a victory dance. Zechs' army joined in Duo's dance too. Wufei and Heero engaged themselves in small talks while Trowa kept his silence. Noin came over to him.

" Still thinking about your sister?"

He nodded once.

" It isn't easy. You are not from here, are you?"

" How do you know?"

" Woman's instinct."

Trowa stared into the horizon. " A mysterious lady in white brought us here. Actually, she only wanted to bring me here but I begged her to let Catherine come along with me. I couldn't bear to see her in tears. The lady agreed, on one condition."

" What condition?"

" She didn't tell me. She said I'd know when the time comes. It's a price both of us have to pay. My destiny is here, hers is back on planet earth. But we violated that law. If I had known she would have to die early, I would have left her on earth."

Noin closed her eyes briefly. " Don't you think humans are funny? That even if we know something is wrong, we still do it because our heart says so? Someone once told me that the only way to live is to act on your emotions. How true does this statement go? If we go on believe our feelings, I'm sure someday we will be rewarded. But remember not to ignore your mind, it keeps you on the ground."

" What are you trying to say?"

" You are an intelligent person, you know what I'm talking about. Don't grieve too much, you still have a life. Show that big man up there what you can do." She pointed up at heaven, gave him a smile and walked away. " Your friends are waiting."

He gazed after her and smiled ever so slightly. _Catherine, I, we have won back half of EverlastVille for you. And we will keep on winning._

Duo waved to him. He waved back and strolled over to the other four boys. 

*************************************************************

Trowa placed the bouquet of cream-coloured lilies on Catherine's grave. His friends took their turns to convey their respects before her. Zechs and Noin offered their apologies by craving Catherine's face on top of her name.

" We're sorry we tried to kill you. Please accept our sincerest apologies," said Noin and the two of them bowed.

" Thank you. You did an excellent job," said Trowa. He touched the craving. 

The wind howled its song in their ears, mournful and lonesome. A tear dropped from his eyes and that was all. He will not forget her. For her, he will stand up and like a grass, will sway with the wind and not be blown off. 

And that is the power of love.

*************************************************************

Lady Une opened her eyes in a tentative manner, blinking at the bright lights. Trieze was not there. She shifted into a sitting position, bones creaking from hours and hours of sleep. The second person that came into her mind's eyes was Relena Peacecraft.

We all loved you. Come back, Miss Une. 

She was too exhausted to think about it anymore. She slumped back, mouth forming a small O shape. " Come back…" 

All of a sudden, it all came back. The images were vague and much too fast for her to capture all. It was like a train ride gone wild, everything goes speeding by. This ephemeral evidence, this acute realization, her true memories…Her hands flew to her heart._ What have I done? Oh Treize…_

She looked at the pair of glasses on the table beside her. With a swift motion, she swept it off, along with a pair of gloves and an empty glass. Une squeezed her fists. _OZ…_

A question came into her mind, a question that a cheeky girl in school had once asked her. " Principal Une, why do you have to wear those ugly glasses and tie your hair like that? Does it have something to do with your temper?"

She had took off her glasses and pretended to inspect her with a mock, stern look. " Because if I don't wear the glasses, I can't see your prettiness."

 Lady Une made a vow never to wear those glasses again.  


	24. Chapter 24

                 _Chapter Twenty-four___

News of the victory travelled all around the realms. Suddenly, everyone sees hope. OZ is _not that formidable after all.  Magic Kingdom and its people were seen as angels that had descended from the vast space. They flocked to Magic Kingdom, hoping to have some of its magic rub on them, to bring them luck and peace. For over 13 years, this majestic realm had not seen such a bustling sight. And this is a good omen._

The day that Relena Peacecraft is to be crowned, a huge celebration was held all across the realm. A holiday was declared and every heart was united as one. The day started like a fresh bud that blossomed into an iridescent rose. The doves carried their ethereal songs to every participating citizen, announcing the arrival of a better era. The past forty years had been full of misery and OZ had simply taken it and magnified it. 

Relena wore her best regalia – a simple, snow-white piece of gown with a large ribbon tied to her back.   Noin helped her put on a pair of matching gloves. A diamond necklace adorned her neck, chosen by the courtesy of her brother. Two servants piled up her hair to the top of her head and another one applied make-up on her. 

Sylvia teased her. " Don't you think that your V-shape neckline is a little too high? Why don't you make it lower? Girls are meant to be pretty."

Relena widened her eyes. " Sylvia!"

Noin smiled. " Our Relena is a conservative girl, right?"

"Oh?" Sylvia studied her for a second before draping her arms over the queen-to-be with a light-hearted grin. " I'm only kidding. This is your big day."

Relena smiled back at their reflection in the mirror. " Thank you, all of you."

Impatient knocks sounded on the door and Duo's voice came through. " You ready in there, O'Queen? Everyone's waiting for you!"

Noin answered the door. " Yes, Queen Relena is ready."

Duo whistled. " Wow! Wait till Heero gets a look at you! You are a beauty."

" Don't you have something to do?" Noin asked him.

" Oh yeah. You reminded me. I almost forgot to change!" He glanced down at his black, everyday garb. " You got any suit that fits me?"

" Duo!" she said with an exasperated sigh. " The ceremony will start in half an hour."

" Hey, you know I hate to wear suits! They are so stuffy and hot."

" Are the other guys ready?"

" Yeah, except me. I woke up late."

Shaking her head, Noin pulled Duo out of the room. " Come on, I'll find you a suit."

Inside, everyone was laughing.

As the priest placed the crown on Relena's head, everyone in the room rose to an ovation. Zechs stepped forward to hug his sister and everyone crowded round to congratulate the new queen. Through handshakes and words, Relena's eyes seek for another pair. A pair that she had grown to love and treasure. 

Heero was standing at the back along with all four of his friends. They were not used to such an occasion. Their eyes met. For a while, there was no one in the room except them. Time seemed to have vanished. Duo, now in a clean suit, has been observing them with much amusement. He broke into their thoughts with a " Heero says you are beautiful!" statement that sent the entire crowd into laughter and the two red in the face.

Heero glared at the obviously delirious boy and clapped his mouth shut. The two boys broke into a tussle that was soon broken up by Wufei and Trowa. Duo stuck out his tongue and laughed. 

" Admit it! Say you like her! Say you want to be with her for the rest of your life!"

Heero ignored him. " Someday I'll send you to the moon. You talk too much."

This led to an argument between the two boys.

" You are such a blockhead!"

" And you are a busybody."

" Should we stop them?" Trowa asked Wufei.

" Nah. It'll just lead to another battle."

Noin came over to them. " Reception is this way, gentlemen." She led them away.

Quatre silently left the group. 

*************************************************************

Quatre wandered about aimlessly in the garden. _Why am I not happy? My memories…no matter how unhappy memories they are, they are still mine. Now I have lost it. What the rest of the boys do, I just can't connect with them, I don't understand at all. My heart is still here, but my mind is a blank piece of paper. How was I like before?_

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice someone else in the garden.

The person was none other than Dorothy. She had came especially to congratulate Relena, but had lost her way. Dorothy stared at Quatre. 

" Quatre Raberba Winner," she acknowledged him with a graceful sweep of her hair.

Quatre paused. He had no recollection of her. " Who…are you? How do you know my name?"

Now it was Dorothy's turn to be puzzled. " What do you mean who am I? I'm Dorothy, don't you remember? Or is this a trick huh, Mr Playboy?" She took a step nearer to him and he backed away in caution. She frowned._ Something is not right with him…_

He lowered his head. " I'm sorry but if you are my friend, I can't remember. I…I have amnesia."

At the other side of the garden was Sylvia. Her face revealed nothing about her hostile personality but inside her, thoughts whirled like a dark tornado. 

_They have got back half of EverlastVille. They will soon get back all. That Winner boy will never recover but to be on the caution side, I have better deal with him again. He's here somewhere. Now if I can just find him…And right after him, shall be Relena Peacecraft. With two of the six gone, we shall rule the world forever and ever! Now where's that damned boy?…_

_…Hmm, where has he gone to? Nevermind then, he can wait. Relena, face your doom. She stopped near a thick bush and raised her hands towards the sun. " God of the Sun, life to all people…"_

She was intervened by two voices.

" Impossible…" Dorothy examined Quatre from head to toe. " This is…"

Quatre felt uncomfortable. " Are you looking for someone?"

" I'm here to congratulate Relena but I seem to have lost my way."

" Follow me."

Both felt uneasy as they walked. " You really can't remember anything?" she asked again.

" No."

" What happened to you?"

" I don't know."

They met Sylvia.

Sylvia smiled at Quatre. " So there you are. I was looking for you. Why did you leave the party?" She noticed Dorothy. " You are…"

" My name's Dorothy Catalonia. I'm a friend of Quatre and Relena."

" Nice to meet you."

Both girls put on a friendly front, smiling politely at each other. But in their hearts, they were thinking otherwise.

_This girl is not a normal girl._

Quatre studied them. He could not tell what was wrong, but the atmosphere suddenly seemed very, very suffocating. 

Sylvia continued to smile. _I'll have to be careful with her. " I'll show you the way in."_

" Thank you," Dorothy replied. " Come with me, Quatre."

Left with no choice, he obediently followed her.

The other girl was furious. _Damn that twin-eyebrow witch! She ruined my plans!_

*************************************************************

The following day was not as exciting as the previous day. The day dragged on with little things to do. Zechs and Noin were busy with the new soldiers. Dorothy hanged around Relena and Quatre. 

It was as if she knew. Silently, Sylvia wished her dead. 

Wufei was alone in his room, reading a very thick book about history. (No, he is not reading it because he loves history but because there is simply nothing to do!) Then, it came so suddenly that he dropped his book in astonishment.

_Hello Wufei, Sally's voice came from nowhere. It was telepathy._

_Sally!_

_Hi. Did I catch you by surprise? _

_Sort of._

_I want to tell you something. I can't talk for long, though the security magic here seems to be deactivated but I can't be sure. Listen, this is the secret location of OZ, where the Master really lives._

Wufei straightened up. _Go ahead. Tell me._

It's… 

"…It's in EverlastVille," Wufei told the other four boys and Zechs. 

None could believe what they had just heard.

" Could you, could you kindly please repeat that again?" Duo said.

" It's in EverlastVille. The only way to enter their headquarters is for someone to open a gate from the inside. This gate is located between two green coloured rocks and is invisible to most people. The headquarters of OZ exist in another space."

" You mean, all we have to do is to find the two rocks and have someone open the gate for us?" said Zechs.

" Yes."

Duo snapped his fingers. " Now I know why their attack on EverlastVille was so quick and elaborated. They wanted to prevent us from finding out their secret location."

Then, they turned to Zechs. " When we asked you, why did you say you don't know?" Heero asked.

" I really don't know. I just can't remember."

Wufei snorted. " You're lying."

"You should know what kind of a person I am. I really want to defeat OZ. I am puzzled myself as to how I can forget the location."

A voice startled them. " Maybe I can help."

Dorothy had silently came into the room. She shut the door behind her.

Wufei glared at Duo. " I thought someone is supposed to lock the door?"

He objected. "But I did!"

" And I picked it," she answered for them. " Maybe you should tell Pargon not to oil the door too often."

" What do you want?" Trowa asked.

" I overheard what Mr Zechs said. I think I can help."

" How?" Zechs asked.

Dorothy approached Zechs and placed her fingers on his forehead. " I'm going to hack into your mind. Maybe we can have an answer."

" Hack into his mind?" Heero studied her.

" Well, it's an unorthodox skill. Unlike the penetration one that the doctor used, this method is stronger."

" You have always been an unorthodox girl."

Dorothy laughed. " Since when have you learn to joke, Heero Yuy?" 

" What is it called?" Zechs asked.

" I don't know. An old woman who taught me this was reluctant to tell me. You have no idea how much cajoling it took before she agreed to teach me this. Now be quiet, all of you."

Dorothy went into a trance. Duo moved his hands in front of her eyes but she did not even bat an eyelid. Zechs sat very still. Like her, he did not move a muscle at all. 

Ten minutes passed, then twenty, thirty… Both were sweating. The boys were all feeling uncomfortable. As sudden as Dorothy had slipped into the room, she let out a blood-curdling scream and fainted. Zechs remained in a motionless state. Shocked, the boys took about a second before they realised that something had gone wrong. 

Heero caught the girl before she hit the floor while Trowa took out his Heavyarms tablet and hit Zechs on the head with it. Holding the back of his head, he whirled round to him and cried, " What are you doing?"

Trowa answered with alacrity, " That's to wake you up. If not, you would have gone back to your maker."

Quatre dashed out of the room and back again with a towel and basin of cold water. Meanwhile, Duo was trying to wake Dorothy by slapping her face. " Hey! Don't sleep! Surely you don't want to see Hades yet, right? Dorothy!" 

He grabbed the cold towel and hurled it at Dorothy's face. She woke up with a forceful jerk. Then, it was Wufei's turn to knock her on the head with his tablet. Secretly, he had always wanted to do that to her.

" What – you – what are you doing?!" she screamed.

Heero folded his arms. " One of the first thing a magic practitioner learns is…"

The other four boys said in unison. " …If a mind penetration spell fails and a person loses consciousness, no matter what, you must wake her up, if not she would died."

Dorothy contained her anger. " So you saved my life, huh?"

Zechs bit his grin. " Dorothy, how is it?"

" As I suspect, the part of your memory concerning the secret location of OZ is erased. It must be the same with Noin's."

" Erased? How?"

" By someone more powerful than any of you here. Must be the work of that Master. I wonder how strong he is."

A slight pause, then Heero said, " Duo, contact Hilde and Sally. Tell them to be extra careful. We are going to need their help to break in."

*************************************************************

" Sally, news from one of the Gundam Guardians," Hilde said with a triumphant grin.

" Duo? What did he say?"

" I just told them how to find the two rocks. They need our help to open the gate."

" Do you know how to open the gate?"

" No. But we are going to find out. Meanwhile, they are going to claim back EverlastVille and hopefully, other realms."

Sally was thoughtful. " They should be able to do it easily."

" What's wrong?"

" That Master. I can't help but find him rather…strange."

" What's so strange about him? We hear his morning pep talk everyday." Hilde stretched her back.

" Maybe I'm over-suspicious but I find him…not the same. Anyway, we need to be careful. He might have something up his sleeves."

Sally was right. The boys and Zechs got back the whole of EverlastVille quite easily, along with two other smaller realms. It was triple blow to OZ and Master was on fire. He did not know what to do next. He just fumed and paced about all day, waiting and waiting for this person.

Sylvia put on a joyful semblance for the victorious group. In the darkest corner of her heart, she wanted to break free from them and make contact with that mysterious friend of hers. She was extremely worried and afraid because she just realised that she had developed feelings for one of the boys. And that person was none other than…him.

*************************************************************

Treize handed a rose to Lady Une and sat down. " How are you feeling now?"

" Thanks. I'm better now. I can go back to work tomorrow." She poured him a glass of water. " You look disturbed."

" OZ lost three battles which Master ordered me not to join in."

" Leave OZ," she told him quietly.

" Pardon?"

" I have been thinking, no, I have remembered why I'm here. I should have been on the other side, with my students."

Treize leaned back. He was breathing heavily. " I pleaded with Master not to do that to you. I wanted you to be yourself. But I wanted you by my side. With you around, I know I can't go wrong. You are always here to support me."

" And I will continue to do that," she replied without hesitation. " Master is using you. He does not trust you. He's not your friend. What he had told you before were all lies."

" I have always known that Master is a dangerous person but I cannot escape, Une. He has my life. I'm not afraid of death but there is no place for me to go. Even if I manage to leave, he would not let me off and the people out there…everyone knows me."

She boldly, and gently, put her hand on top of his and knelt down beside him. " We can go to a place far away where no one knows us."

Treize looked into her eyes._ My Lady Une… " It's impossible. You have not seen Master's prowess, have you? My magic is not even half of his. Don't be foolish. I'll let you leave here if you want."_

" No!" she said vehemently. Passion and love reflected in her ardent eyes. " Treize, I once told you I would follow you. And it's still the same now. I live because of you."

He hugged her close to him. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. But she understood, she knew what he had just said. She hugged him back.__

_" Where are you going Treize?"_

" Follow me!" 

*************************************************************

" See you at dinner, Noin." Relena waved to her and went back to her room. She had just come back from an inspection tour and was feeling a little exhausted. The past two weeks or so had been especially tedious. 

She washed her face and went to her desk to finish a two-page speech she had prepared for tomorrow. Sitting on top of the papers with a complacent smile was a chocolate-brown teddy bear with kohl-dark eyes.

There was a little note tucked under its chubby arm. Relena read the encouragement note and broke into a delighted smile. Though the person had not wrote his name, she recognized his clean, yet somewhat untidy handwriting. Looking out of her window, she saw him walking in, looking very normal. 

She ran out of her room and down the stairs. She opened the door just before he reaches it. " Heero," she showed him the bear. " Thank you."

He looked away. " It might not be from me."

" You cannot deceive me. I know your handwriting. Even if you try to disguise it, I can still recognize it."

" Really? Good for you."

Her eyes had a mischievous glint to it. " Heero…" She took a step forward and tripped. Whether she did it on purpose or not, only she herself knows. He caught her just before she fell. Her head was resting on his shoulder. He froze, but only for a second. 

" Relena…"

" Yes?"

Footsteps interrupted them. Guess who's here? Duo Maxwell!( He always seem to appear at inappropriate times.)

" Oops, I see nothing! I see nothing at all!" He turned his back on them. " Ok, do it and if you are done, tell me."

" What are you thinking?" Heero said. Relena and Heero immediately kept a distant from each other. 

The debonair boy faced them. " Oh, nothing, nothing. But are you thinking what I'm thinking, lover boy?"

" And are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Heero frowned.

" Oh! I don't know. Why don't we ask Queen Relena?"

Relena blinked. Her face was red. " I know nothing."

" Oh really?" Duo eyed them with amused interest. " Heero and Relena sitting on a tree…"

" Duo! Behind you," Heero interrupted him.

" What?"

The two 'lovers' fled in different directions. When Duo turned back, they were gone.

" Heero!" He shook his head and sighed. " You don't have to be shy. I told you I won't peep." He whistled and walked way.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-five

Sylvia stole furtive glances about. There was nobody around. She put her ear to the door.

" …We can do it this way," said Zechs.

" I agree," said Noin.

 " Have you found the rocks, Wufei?" Heero asked.

" I believe I have."

 " What did Sally and Hilde say? When shall it be?" Relena said.

" Soon, I hope. They have yet to find out how to open the gate," Wufei said.

Sylvia had never felt so shocked in her life before. _They actually found it! Curse them! Ancient damnation! _ She pressed her ear nearer to the door.

Heero cocked his head towards the door. " Who's there?"

Silence engulfed the whole room. The doorknob turned slowly and Sylvia came in meekly. " Sorry but I didn't know you were having a meeting. I'm looking for Relena."

Eight pairs of eyes studied her but only one pair was trying to penetrate into her soul. Heero stood up. " Why are you looking for Relena?"

Relena rose. " Is anything wrong, Sylvia?"

" It's nothing really. I felt bored and just wanted come company. And I couldn't find Dorothy. Since you are busy, I think I'll just leave."

" No, actually the meeting is over," Heero answered. Except for Relena and Sylvia, they all left the room. After closing the door, Heero stopped Wufei. " Wufei, can I have a word with you?"

The latter was bemused. " Let's take a walk."

The two walked in silence at first. Heero wanted to be sure that no one was following them. 

" How did you meet Sylvia Noventa?" Heero asked.

" Didn't I tell you before? I met her in a village. The war made her an orphan."

" Haven't it occur to you before that she may be a spy?"

" I have thought of that but she does not seem to have any magical skills."

Heero looked at him. " A highly skilled sorcerer can disguise his abilities. This is a common fact."

Wufei frowned back at him. " I am not siding her, if that's what you can thinking. But right now, she does seem harmless but if I ever discover another side to her, I will kill her. I can assure you that."

Their talk ended abruptly. Heero could sense that Sylvia was not such a simple girl. On the façade, she appeared to be an innocent girl who hates the war but deep inside, who knows? He had suspected her the first time they met but remained quiet about it, lest he is proved wrong. What happened just now, what Sylvia had said about looking for Relena, was a lie. He knew it.

Because he himself had placed a spell outside the room. A spell that can show to him the footsteps of a person and how long they have been there. The longer a person stands in the same place, the darker the colour of the spell. It had shown clearly to him that Sylvia had intended to eavesdrop for the shapes outside the door was a dark red. 

***************************************************************

Sylvia shut the door behind her. It was too close. She was glad of her quick thinking. Except for Heero, the rest were totally convinced. She must watch her step more carefully from now on.

_You hear me?_

_Yes, I hear you well. What is it Sylvia?_

_The others have found it._

_What?!_

_Yes, it is true. Have you activated the security magic?_

_I…_

_You idiot! Haven't I taught you?_

_Yes, but I'm still confused. It is very...complicated. I only managed to activate half of it._

_Half is not enough! What will my mother think? _

_I'm sorry…_

_My mother hates incompetent fools. Listen carefully and I shall only say it once more! _

_I'm listening…_

_Oh, before that, check on this person. Her name is Hilde, Hilde… something. I believe she is a traitor. I vaguely remember her name on our deserters' list. I shall personally deal with the soldier who allowed her in._

_Yes!_

After Sylvia had finished giving her instructions, she went to open her windows and spotted Quatre in the garden below. _Quatre Raberba Winner, you pitiful moron. You only have yourself to blame._

" Quatre!" 

He turned around and smiled. " Hello, Sylvia." 

" Taking a stroll?" She fell into step beside him. " It is a very nice day."

Quatre was silent.

" Is anything wrong?" Her face was brimming with concern for him.

" Nothing really," he said after a pause. " I'm just pondering over something."

" Care to share it with me? It's good to talk about it, that's what my mother taught me."

He bent his head. " I don't even remember my mother's face, let alone remember what she had taught me."

She brushed her hair back. " So that's what has been bothering you!"

He turned to look at her. " Huh?"

Sylvia took a deep breath and spoke in a voice that was strangely mesmerizing and hypnotizing.  

" I don't think I have ever told anyone this before. I don't have a happy childhood. After I was born, my mother died. So my father looked at me as a jinx. I was a clumsy child, very useless and I had a bad limp from a fall. I could not do anything without my leg affecting me. My father hated me. So I ran away from home. I ran away to look for a better life. I was eight years old. I wandered about for a year before I finally found happiness with a family that took me in. They were good people and they treated my leg and gave me warmth. I loved them and they loved me. So I called them Father and Mother. But our happiness was short-lived. The war came and stole their lives away. So here I am, looking for my own happiness again."

" So those people that were killed in the war, you being the only survivor of your family…they are not your real family?"

" No, but I loved them nonetheless. They were my happiness. I left my misery with my father for a better life. Do you understand what I am saying, Quatre?" She looked at him. " When something becomes painful, you have to try to leave it behind in search for something better. You can't just wallow yourself in sadness all day long. You need to get up and go. Look for a place that belongs to you. Like how my father and mother took me in and how I ran away from home. I left to search for my happiness. So must you."

There was silence for a while as she let Quatre absorb what she had said. " I'm speaking from a personal experience. I understand how you feel Quatre and I'm willing to help you. Tell me where you want to go from here. I'll go with you if you like."

Quatre's hands shook._ Maybe I really should leave them and go search for a place that can have me. I am not needed here anymore. I shan't stay here anymore. " I think I should do this by myself. Thank you Sylvia. You have helped a lot."_

" What's a friend for? Believe me, there is a place out there for you." She smiled at him. " Come on, let's go find the other guys. See what they're up to."

" No…no, I think I'll just go to my room." He looked pained. He felt the pain. _Quatre, where do you go from here? Sylvia is right, I should have left a long time ago. He murmured a goodbye to her and retraced back his steps. __I should have left when I had the chance. I hope it is not too late now. _

It took all his will, all his determination not to look back. He had finally decided on something and he is not going to let go. He had been so indecisive for so long and now that he has finally come to this conclusion, he will not let go. _I will leave. I will leave to search for my own life. _

He clutched the Sandrock tablet tightly in his pocket. _Will you go with me, Sandrock?_ He could feel it saying yes. He smiled. _Thank you, my Sandrock._

It took all of her might not to laugh aloud. _I don't think I have ever seen such a stupid boy! _ And she began to laugh, softly, so as not to disturb the rest.

***************************************************************

It was two days after Quatre had a talk with Sylvia. Quatre was preparing for his journey and had not told his decision to anyone yet. Not even Rasid knows about this. Furthermore, he was hoping the right time would come so he could break the news to them in the gentlest way possible. He knew they would be upset and would persuade him to stay because of their friendship. But his mind is made up. 

Noin rubbed her temples. She has been feeling rather exhausted lately and had not slept last night. She would be glad if she could have five hours of sleep at night. Undisturbed.

" Noin? Are you all right? You look pale," Relena said. They were discussing about OZ.

Dorothy touched her forehead. " You are sick."

Noin shook her head and pushed Dorothy's hand aside. " I am fine. I guess I am a little tired."

" You need a rest. We'll end the meeting now," Relena said firmly.

Noin stood up quickly. " Miss Relena, really I'm fine. I…"

Suddenly her world started spinning and with fluttering arms, she collapsed to the floor with a quiet thud.

" Noin!"

" Noin, are you awake? Noin?" 

She opened her eyes, slowly, to see the worried face of Zech's staring down at her. He touched her forehead. " Your forehead is still hot."

She struggled to get up. " No, I'm fine…"

Relena stopped her. " You should rest. You have been working too hard. I'll ask Dorothy to oversee some of your tasks."

" Dorothy? No…"

Zechs said, " I'll do it for her. I know what to do."

Noin smiled. " Thank you. It's my fault. I shan't fall sick in such a critical time. I should have taken care of myself better."

It was Relena's turn to curve her lips. " I'm sure Brother can do that, right?"

And it was the first time ever that Zechs' turned crimson. " Right…"

And for the next three days, Zechs stayed by Noin's side. She had never felt so lucky in her life before. And neither did he.

Quatre's head was bent low, absorbed in his own thoughts. He could not feel his feet. They just do their own walking. He had no idea where to go. He had just visited Noin and she was looking much better. In fact, whenever she was with Zechs, she always looks so much better. There is this certain glow in her whenever she was with Zechs.

He smiled. _Noin likes Zechs. Why didn't I realize that sooner? They make such a good couple. His feet stopped outside a door. __I have stopped. Why have my feet stopped? _

There was no one around. Quatre stared at the door, unsure. Before he could stop himself, his hands had already pushed open the heavy, chocolate-coloured door.

He stepped in tentatively. He listened and looked. It was a music room. All kinds of instruments were kept in here. Harp, trumpet, French horn, flageolet, cello…His eyes fell on the violin that was resting on the bench of a grand piano. _So familiar, this fondness, this feeling…His fingers ran nimbly across the stringed instrument. He picked up the bow and rested the violin on his shoulder. He cocked his head left to support it. _

The bow touched the strings. Quatre did not know he could play the violin. He did not remember he could play such a delicate instrument. _What is this tune I'm playing?_ He cannot remember, but it was a light cheery tune that reminded him of good times when girls and boys idle and play in the summer. His fingers just moved, without him telling them what to do. 

_You have not forgotten that, at least, not your heart. _

The music ended. He put down the violin. Feeling a little tired, he sat down on the piano bench. As if controlled by an old, irresistible itch, his hands open the lid of the piano. 

Quatre paused. He looked at his hands._ Is this what I used to do? _He played a note, than another, and another and before he knew it, he was playing another nameless piece of music. This piece was unlike the first one he had played. It was completely the opposite. It was dark, cold and mysterious. 

" You don't have to be so serious, do you eh, Wufie?" Duo said as he dodged a fireball.

" Stop calling me Wufie!" Wufei threatened him with another fireball on his palm.

" Wait, wait! Hang on…did you hear something?" 

Both boys were silent.

" It's music," Wufei answered.

Duo frowned. " Yeah, don't you think it sounds like…Quatre?"

Wufei sat down.

" Hey, what are you doing, Wufei?"

" No use disturbing the genius. Might as well sit down and enjoy the music." 

" You are right." He sat down beside him.

Rasid turned to Pargon. " Did you hear that?"

Pargon, who was preparing snacks, looked up. " Yes, who could it be?"

Rasid's eyes were moist. " No doubt…no doubt it's him…"

Zechs helped Noin out of her bed. " I can walk by myself, don't worry."

" You sure? You still look a little weak."

" Maybe but I'm not an invalid." Noin stopped. " Who's playing the piano?"

" No idea."

" Who _can play the piano?"_

Zechs looked at her. " Are you thinking who I'm thinking?"

" I am thinking who you are thinking."

They grinned at each other.

Dorothy was chatting with Relena while Heero walked behind them. He does not want to be accused of eavesdropping. They crossed the royal garden and he braked abruptly. Relena turned back.

" What is it, Heero?" she asked.

Heero placed a finger to his lips. The two girls listened.

Dorothy heard it first. " It's music. Someone's playing the piano."

" Who could it be?" Relena wondered aloud.

Heero nodded to himself. " It's him."

" Who?"

Sylvia's eyes were close. Her body relaxed as she lay on the bed. _Such a pity…_She opened her eyes and sat up. _Why am I sympathizing with him? I have a heart of stone! I should not feel anything for my enemies. I cannot or I'll lose…_ She forced herself not to cry. _I used to play the piano too…_

A tear dropped onto her clenched fist.

Quatre finished playing. Someone applauded for him. He had not notice anyone coming in or he would have stopped immediately 

The intruder was Trowa. " That was one of your favourite pieces. You still remember it?"

" Actually I don't remember the name."

" Cold Fire. The name is Cold Fire." Trowa went to the cupboard and took out an expensive-looking flute. He blew music into it. Quatre was surprised; he did not know his friend could play the flute. Once again, guided by an old habit, he joined Trowa with the piano. He knows the music; his fingers know it and he let them play on the keyboard. 

Quatre felt peace. He really did. It has been a very, very long time since he had felt peace. He wanted the feeling to last forever and ever. And he was sure Trowa felt the same way. The duo played one piece after another, and the most wonderful thing is they did not stop once to tell the other what piece to play next. They just know. Their souls are one. They need no words. The music did the talking for them.

Elsewhere in the palace, friends stopped to listen. They could feel the magic too. They could feel the peace too. They could feel the universe. Right then, everyone seems to be united as one. This is where they all belong together; this is the place for them.

However, all good things must come to an end. Trowa put down his flute. He smiled gently at his chum. Quatre returned the smile. Neither spoke for a few minutes. It was too magical for them to say anything. Quatre closed the lid of the piano and returned the violin back to its original place. Trowa placed the flute beside it. 

" You are a very good player," Quatre told him.

" So are you."

Trowa noticed that his friend was not smiling. " What is the matter?"

" I…" Quatre did not know how to say it. He had just remembered that he should be isolating himself from them so that the separation would not be too much to bear. He did not understand why he had rendered a duet with him. _Why?…_

" I don't think I should stay here anymore."

Trowa was startled, but he did not show it. " What do you mean?"

" I think I should leave. I have been a burden for so long already. I wanted to tell you yesterday but did not have the courage. I'm sorry."

Trowa's face was stern. " You are not a burden to us. You are our friend, Quatre. We will not allow you to leave."

" I know you will say that but my mind is made up."

" Who has been telling you such tales?"

" Tales? What do you mean?"

" Someone must have said something to make you leave. Who is that person?"

" No one told me anything. I came to this decision myself."

" Who is that person?" Trowa insisted.

" No one!" Quatre started to leave.

" If you want to leave, where would you go?"

He paused. A little. " I'll be heading west. I'll probably be doing a lot of travelling. I don't think I belong here with you people. Maybe I once felt that way but not anymore."

He went out of the room.

Trowa was left alone. He folded his arms and looked down. He shut his eyes once, twice and reopened to find that he has to do something. And fast. Quatre has never been this serious before. Yes, he has always been serious but this time round it is different. _He wants to find himself, he wants his memories back. But he doesn't know where to start. Yet, he is determined to find a place to start. _

If they don't do something fast, they will lose him forever. 

***************************************************************

Duo's tablet glowed. He grinned, positioned it upright on the table, and tapped it twice. " Hi Hilde. How's everything going down there?" The God of Death propped his legs up on the table.

Hilde's voice came through. " Hi Duo, everything is going according to plan."

" Where's Sally?"

" She's on night duty. It sure is lonely being by yourself."

" The two of you have grown rather close."

" We tell each other everything."

Duo raised an eyebrow. " Oh? So you are not telling me everything eh? I thought we are good friends."

" What do you mean?" Hilde said, a little flustered. " I tell you everything too. I don't lie to you."

He laughed. " Relax, I'm only joking. It has been some time since I last saw you."

" Yes…Seriously, I sort of miss you." She bit her lip.

" So do I," he answered with genuine feelings. Hilde was surprised.

" You do?"

" Yeah. You are a great girl you know."

Master sat back. At last, the security magic has been activated. Nothing can escape from his clutches. He straightened his back. The magic has alerted him of a disturbance from outside. Someone is making a connection with one of his men. And he knows who the traitor is.

Hilde laughed. " Can you just be serious for once?"

" I told you, I'm the God of Death. I can't die. Believe me, when we meet again, I'll show you!"

Urgent knocks pounded on Hilde's door. " I'll talk to you some other time, Duo. Someone's at the door."

" Aww…"

" Goodnight."

" 'Night, pal."

They logged off. Hilde hurried to the door. Two soldiers were outside. " Yes?" she said.

" You are wanted," Soldier One informed her simply.

" Wanted? By whom?"

" You'll see," Soldier Two said.

" Unless you tell me who wants to see me, I won't go," she said.

Soldier One laid a hand on her shoulder. " If you know what's good for you, don't ask." He squeezed her shoulder, hard.

Left without a choice, Hilde went with them.

" This is…" Hilde gaped at the interior of Master's abode. 

A deep, ambiguous voice came from behind the curtain. " Hilde Schbeiker."

Hilde dropped to her knees immediately. " Master, my greetings to you."

" Do you know why I summon you here?"

" Your subordinate has no idea."

" Men."

As soon as Master had said this, the two men began to kick and punch her. Hilde cried out in pain. " Master! What is this for?"

" Traitor. You wretch. You think you can fool us OZ? I have been observing you, Miss Traitor. You left OZ years ago and now you are back to betray us. OZ had no need for rats like you. Hell would love you."

Hilde knew that it was over for her. If she does not escape now, she would die. HHhHHKNJUHh

So she started to run.

" Where do you think you are going, my dear child?" 

A magic bolt hit her from the back. Hilde collapsed.

" Finish her."

The two soldiers sneered and spat at her, before they took out their batons. 


	26. Chapter 26

              *%Chapter Twenty-Six%*

Sally Po had looked everywhere for Hilde. " Have you seen Hilde?" she asked a colleague.

" The girl who is always with you? No, why?" he asked.

" I can't find her."

" Maybe she has gone out for some mission?"

" She would have told me. Thanks anyway."

_ She did not even leave a message behind. This is just not like Hilde, to vanish somewhere and not tell me where she has gone. Sally did not look where she was walking and almost bumped into Lady Une. _

The two women regarded each other for a moment, as if examining whether the other has any deadly disease. It was Lady Une who took the initiative to exchange a cordial greeting. 

" Good morning, Sally."

" Good morning." Sally was taught to be polite and friendly since young. 

" Do not be mistaken. I have no ulterior motive." 

_She looked guileless. Sally was wary. " Oh? Why aren't you with Treize plotting how to take over the world?"_

" Sally, believe me, I am tired. I don't wish to fight anymore. I want to get out of here."

Indeed, Lady Une did look worn out. The fearsome aura that had once surrounded her was gone; she had suddenly return to someone Sally had known previously. " Une, have you recovered?" she lowered her voice.

She nodded. " I am no longer in Master's control. For some reason, I have broke free. I apologize for all the trouble I had caused to you and your friends. I apologize for all the innocent lives lost."

Sally believed her. Lady Une, no Miss Une is finally back. The sweet and demure principal she had once respected has returned. " It is not safe to talk here. Come to my room."

" No, it may be bugged. Are you looking for Hilde? Come to my room."

" How do you know I'm looking for Hilde?" Sally asked. Une poured her a cup of tea.

" I saw you asking the soldiers something and I guess it must be Hilde. The two of you are good friends." She undid the two buns on her hair and massaged the back of her neck. " Sorry but I must look terrible to you. I have not been sleeping well."

" I have not been resting well myself too. Can you find Hilde for me, Une? I'm really worried something might have happened to her, like what Master had did to Noin…"

" I'll find her for you. Sally, in return can you help me too?"

" Name it."

" I want Treize to leave OZ. Master has something up his sleeves and it is not something good. Master is rather different nowadays; it's as if he is not himself. He could be preparing for something – big. If you can get Treize to get out of here, I'll help you and your friends."

" I talk to Treize? But he always listens to you," Sally said.

Une shook her head. " I have talked till my throat is dry. Maybe he needs someone else's opinions. And he seems to be avoiding me too. I have not seen him for the past three days." She took a sip of her warm tea.

Sally thought for a while. " I can't promise you that I'll be able to talk him round. But I will certainly try my best. I believe Treize is not a stupid man. Like us, he is merely a pawn under that Master's palm. I am glad you have come round."

" Thank you, Sally. I know I can count on you. I have an idea where Hilde is but until I confirm my suspicions, I cannot tell you."

Sally raised her cup. " I trust you."

*************************************************************

It was night. Lady Une was walking around the headquarters, pretending as if nothing is out of ordinary. She was alone; she did not dare ask for company for fear that she might be exposed. A life is at stake. She reached the gate of OZ. There were soldiers on night duty.

They saluted upon seeing her. " I'm going out," she told them.

" Master says no one is to go out," one of them said.

" Master says I can go out. Didn't he tell you?"

" We did not receive any message."

" Is mine not enough?" she raised her voice. " If you interfere with my task, you would be severely punished. Open the gate!"

" Right away!"

They opened the gate for her and she walked out calmly. " Do not close it till I'm back."

She distanced herself away from their prying eyes and looked up at the sky. It seemed like an eternity since she had looked up into the sky with an innocent pair of eyes. 

She glanced around the flat plain, looking for signs of life. Faraway, a wolf howled. _What would a wolf be doing here? Even the animals have been driven mad by OZ. Poor things._

A dark figure lay on the grass. _Is it her?_ Lady Une approached the motionless figure with extra caution. She got down on her knees and turned the body over. 

Sally could not help worrying about HildeHhhhcdviureanbcdd

Hilde. She could not get to sleep. Feeling restless, she dressed and let herself out of the room for a stroll. Hopefully, Une had found Hilde already.

She had not gone far from her room when she met Treize. He was all by himself. She hurriedly ran up to him. Since she had promised Une, she would not go back on her word. 

" Can I have a word with you?" she asked.

Treize was startled to see her. He tried to be as nonchalant as possible but Sally could see that he was disturbed. " What is it, soldier?" he said.

" I should introduce myself – my name is Sally Po. I am a friend of Lady Une."

" Oh?"

" Can we have a talk in private?"

He smiled warmly. " Sure, why not?" he replied readily. " I see no harm in that. How about my office?"

Sally followed Treize into his office. Without a word, he poured her a cup of tea and pushed back a chair for her to sit. She was astonished by his gentlemanly actions and could see why Une was heads over heels with him. He settled himself comfortably opposite her.

" Did Lady Une ask you to advise me to leave OZ?" he asked.

" How do you know?"

" I know Une. It is not that I do not want to leave; it is that I have nowhere to go. Where can a soldier like me go? I exist only in wars."

" Do you think I have not thought about this myself?" Sally said. " I am a soldier too. Before this war, I had nothing to do. Yes, I had a stable job that does not need me to risk my life. My life was peaceful. But when the war came, suddenly I was different. In fact, I feel energetic. I want to fight. I want to live. I have a meaning in life. So I thought to myself, what will happen to soldiers like us when the war end? 

" This war will end sooner or later and I believe OZ will be destroyed. I have no plans for my future yet. I'm sure the Gundam boys have thought about this too. I believe they were brought here to fight against the evil forces. After everything had ended, will they disappear? But I know they will live forevermore in here." She touched her heart. " Treize, you only have to live. Live for your Lady Une. Don't make her upset anymore."

Treize looked at her, as if he was penetrating into her soul, dissecting every part of her from head to toe, mind to heart. " So after the war end, after we soldiers are discarded aside, what will you do?"

She shook her head and with a hopeful glint in her eyes, whispered, " I only know that no matter what I have to live. I don't like war, yet it had brought out the best and worst in me. It allowed me to show my true self. Someone might seem like a coward, running away in times of trouble, but they are just doing what they think is right. It is not wrong if you stay and fight a losing battle. But you have to think. If you die, if you die…think about who will cry for you."

Sally had no idea her advice would turn out to be a heart-to-heart chat for her. She blinked and laughed brusquely. " I'm supposed to be giving you advice on behalf of Une but look what I'm doing now."

Treize sighed. " What you have said is true. I guess I have been running away for too long."

" It doesn't mean that you can no longer fight and live when you leave here. Life is a struggle itself. Let me give you an example. Students fight to pass examinations. If they don't pass, they 'die'. Isn't that like fighting a battle too?"

Both laughed heartily. 

" You are a great person, Sally. You'll do well in life. I like soldiers who can fight. I like soldiers who can stand up for what they believe in. I like people who are not afraid of fate. You are one such heroine."

" Me a heroine? You have not seen Une yet. Go to her. She needs you more than anyone. This spilt personality of hers…she created it for you. Tell me, is it the hair or the glasses that changes her? I can't figure it out."

" Both."

Sally nodded, deeply enlightened. " See you."

She got up and left Treize to himself.

" I can still fight…" he spoke to himself. " It is my fortune to be able to meet these heroes and heroines."

A note was taped to Sally's door. There was simply a L.U. on it but Sally knew what that L.U. means – Lady Une. She has found Hilde! Immediately, she sprinted to Lady Une's room.

Sally burst into the room, panting. Une was standing beside her bed and lying unconsciously on it was Hilde. 

" Hilde! Hilde, are you okay?" Sally rushed to her companion's side.

Lady Une answered for her, " I'll tell you the truth – she's beyond help. Several of her organs are damaged and she suffers serious internal injuries. It's already a miracle she can survive till now."

" No! We have to save her!" Sally cried, face flushed and eyes moist. " There must be a way!"

" Sally…" Hilde's weak voice came to their ears. The girl could hardly open her eyes. Her face was cruelly contused; her limbs and body littered with ugly cuts. 

" Hilde, don't worry. We'll find a way to save you," Sally assured her, fighting back tears. She cupped the fifteen years old girl's hand.

She shook her head, tears forming. " No use…I-I know I can't live…"

" Nonsense! You'll live to a ripe old age! You are still young…who did this to you?"

" Master…he discovered that I was…c-communicating with Duo. Be careful, Sally. I-don't think he knows about you…yet."

" I'll kill him! That beast…" Sally clutched her friend's hand tighter. 

Hilde tried to smile but fail miserably. She has little strength left. " Sally…I really hope…hope to see Duo one last time…"

" Don't talk rot! You'll live, I know you will! Right, Une?" Sally turned to Lady Une.

Une swallowed once. " We'll need to get you out of here quick."

Hilde shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. " I know I can't live for long. Y-You know that too…" she was on the verge of breaking down. " Sally, I can't bear to leave you too but the God of Death is calling me, the one that lives down there…I just want to see the God of Death on earth one last time… Please?"

Sally's head bob up and down. " I'll take you to him! Rest assured, you will see him! Just hang on, Hilde."

Lady Une took charge. " We'll leave right away. There is no time for delay. Sally, you pack the necessary things. We'll leave in an hour's time. I'll need to bribe some of the guards to shut their mouths."

Hilde closed her eyes to rest as her friends helped her to prepare for this journey._ Duo…I really can't bear to leave this world yet but I must…People die so easily…I can't help you anymore…I…_

*************************************************************__

Someone knocked on Quatre's door. The gentle boy looked up from the music sheets he was studying at. He went to the door and opened it. Dorothy's smiling face appeared before him. She invited herself in.

" Hi Quatre!" She sat on his chair. " How are you preparing for your journey?"

" Thanks for your concern. I'm almost ready, if the others would just let me leave. They have been keeping an eye on me so I have little chance of leaving," he told her.

" Make it clear that I am not in support of you leaving," she said. " That person who instructed you to leave here – she is Sylvia Noventa, isn't she? And she said she'll help you to leave, right?"

Quatre frowned. "No one is behind this. I decided on this myself."

" You are a terrible liar, Quatre Raberba Winner, because an honest boy like you just don't know how to lie." Dorothy narrowed her eyes, mouth set in a thin line. She stared at him austerely, as if a mother is about to lecture a naughty kid.

" Sylvia is not what she seems. Everyone is fooled by her. That witch has something up her sleeves, I know it. She is not as innocent as she seems. I have no wish to interfere in your life but this is for your own good. I hate to see a good guy getting conned. I like to goad a person to do some work but I don't like to cheat them. This Sylvia…she is more deadly than we think."

Quatre was as serious as her. " You have no proof, Dorothy. You cannot accuse a person just by your words alone. No one would believe you."

She sighed. Her earlier dark mood was gone as swiftly as the wind. " I know you won't believe me but just remember my words. If anything happens, you know who to blame – yourself."

She got up, blew a kiss to him and trotted out. Once again, poor Quatre was left confused and distressed. _Why can't I just make up my mind about anything? _He thought to himself as he slumped onto an armchair. _Just what is wrong with me? I believe Sylvia, but what Dorothy had just said…I feel that I can't ignore it._

 " Can someone tell me what to do?"

Lunchtime came and Quatre went down for his meal. Everyone could see that he was distracted but none of them said anything. The blond boy took his seat between Rasid and Duo. Sylvia was nowhere to be seen.

Relena came in a minute after Quatre. " Sylvia told me she would not be back for lunch. She had gone out to do some sightseeing. We'll start without her."

Dorothy snorted. " Sightseeing? I don't think so."

" Why do you say that, Dorothy?" she asked.

" Nothing. It's just a hunch."

Duo picked up his fork. " Let's feast! You got to eat more today, Quatre. I helped with some of the dishes today."

Heero drank his soup. " He helped to eat some of the food, that's all."

" Do you always, always, always have to put me down, Heero?"

Pargon came in.

" Miss, there's someone at the door," he informed her. " Someone by the name of Sally Po and Hilde Schbeiker. Miss Schbeiker looks seriously injured."

" What?" Relena and Duo exclaimed in unison.

The whole group left the table and bolted out to meet their friends. Duo reached them first. Hilde was lying on the floor and Sally was trying to help her up.

" Hilde, please hang on!"

Duo shouted, " Hilde! What had happened to her? She wasn't like this when I talked to her two days ago!"

Sally waited till everyone had arrived before she broke her side of the news. " Hilde was missing when I went back to our room after my duty. I searched for her everywhere. It was Lady Une who found her. The person who injured her is none other than the great devil himself – the Master of OZ. And it was Une who helped us out of the headquarters. Duo, Hilde wanted to meet you."

Hilde opened her eyes. " Duo…"

" I'm here, I'm here," Duo said, holding her cold palm. Relena knelt down beside them. 

" Pargon, get a doctor quick! And help her into a room!" she instructed.

" No…" Hilde whispered hoarsely and coughed twice. " No…doctor can cure me…The God of Death in hell wants me with him." She looked tearfully at Duo.

" Don't talk rot!" he tried to hush her. " You are going to be all right, Hilde. You can make it. I'll make that devil pay for what he had done to you!"

Tears flowed down her cheeks, staining his black sleeve. She was choking, trying to form meaningful words from beneath her painful mortal shell. 

" Duo…before I go, I want you to…to know…that I…I have…I have always…always…" Blood appeared at the side of her mouth, and a red river ran down to her chin. "…Always…"

She died. She did not finish her sentence. Sally was crying. " …Always like you…" She turned her face away from the corpse of her partner and cried, shoulders shaking, biting her fingers.

" No…" Relena stared at her lost friend, who still had her eyes open. She fell back, but did not faint. Heero caught her just in time. Quatre took a step back. Though he did not remember her, he was certain he had once known her. He could not move at all. He did not know what to do next.

Duo hugged Hilde furiously, refusing to let go. He was crying, yelling insanely at the twist of fate. " Hilde! Hilde come back! I have always thought you are a fighter, why are you leaving now? We promised to celebrate together when we destroyed OZ! Hilde!!!"

Noin bent down and gripped his shoulders. " Duo…don't be like this…"

He shook her aside forcefully. " Hilde, please come back! Come back!"

Zechs tried to talk to Duo but Trowa stopped him. " I know how he feels right now," the silent boy said. " He won't be able to take in any words."

He looked at Wufei and Heero and gave them a nod. The two boys went away with Pargon to prepare for a funeral. The day is hot and Hilde's body would start rotting in no time. Though neither said anything, they were nonetheless disturbed by the violent death of their ex-schoolmate. 

Trowa carefully pried Hilde away from Duo. With light fingers, he closed her eyes.

" Avenge her," he said simply.

Relena moved to Sally and tried to comfort her. Dorothy passed her handkerchief to them. Duo looked around at them, glazed, as if he was not seeing anything but Trowa's words rang in his mind.__

_Avenge her avenge her avenge her avenge her avenge her avenge her…_

Duo is a strong person. He would not fall down because of a setback. He would stand up again and defeat his opponents and win every obstacle. He would do what should be done. He would avenge Hilde and let him keep her company in hell! 

He looked down at her limp and soulless body. Again, he cried. For he had lost someone dear to him.

*************************************************************

Duo lay the pure, white lilies at the headstone of Hilde's grave. The funeral was a hasty one because of the injuries that Hilde had suffered, her corpse cannot be left out in the open for long. When a magic practitioner dies of unnatural causes, his or her body would rot faster than a normal human being. 

Relena would come later because she still has some matters to attend to. Sylvia and Dorothy stayed behind with her.

" Can you please leave me alone for a while?" he said to them. " I'll be all right, I just want to share some quiet moments with Hilde."

Without a word, they left him alone. This is, after all, not the first death they had encountered with someone close to them. Once they were out of Duo's sight, Sally said, " I should be going."

" Thank you so much, Sally," Noin said.

" Don't mention it. Hilde was my friend. Une helped a lot too. She is on our side now. She has recovered. She is now trying to help Treize. I believe he would be our ally in no time. See you soon."

She waved and walked away. The four boys, Zechs and Noin watched her till her shadow vanished. Then, it was Quatre's turn to speak.

" I should be going too."

" Quatre, do you know what you are saying?" Zechs asked him.

" Yes." He avoided their piercing stares. " I don't know but I have this feeling that so many have died because I have not done my part. I feel that I have caused their deaths. I feel that I'm useless…"

" It's not your fault," Heero said. 

"Please, could you just let me leave?"

" You are only running away."

" Maybe I am…I just don't know what to do right now. It feels like my fault."

He took off from them, running away as far as his legs can carry him. Noin called after him but he did not look back.

" The problem with him is that he takes every single thing to the heart," Wufei analyzed. " That's what happen to people who are too gentle. They always blame themselves."

" Are we just going to let him leave?" Noin asked.

Trowa pinched his chin with his right thumb and forefinger. " I have a plan. But I would need every single one of you to help me."

" Count me in," Duo's voice came from behind them. " Don't worry, I'm okay. I just can't stay alone for long. Let me do something if not I would go crazy." He stuffed his hands inside his pockets. 

Zechs thumped his back. Everyone was glad to see him.

Trowa understood his meaning. " That's the way. This is my plan…"


	27. Chapter 27

           ~*~_Chapter Twenty-Seven_~*~

Sylvia almost upset her glass of orange juice when she heard Trowa's plan from Relena. " Does he really want to do that?"

She nodded. " Yes. We have all decided."

" Will it work?"

" I hope so. All of them are very confident about it. Do you want to help us?"

Sylvia hesitated. She was pondering over something. Relena touched her shoulder gently.

" Is anything wrong, Sylvia?"

The petite girl shook her head and plastered on a quick smile. " No, I'm only worried about Quatre…whether this plan will work or not."

" You have to have faith in them. Heero and the rest can turn the 'impossible' into 'possible'," Relena told her confidently.

That night, alone in her room, Sylvia began her ritual. She sat cross-legged on the bed, closed her hands together in prayer-like pattern and brought it to her forehead. She pressed her forehead lightly and muttered incantations, going into a dreamy state. 

The room was unlit and there was no moon or stars. A thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder by the minute. Perfect.

Heero and Trowa were in Quatre's room. It was dark. The three of them were sitting in a triangle, with the blond boy looking very tensed. He was not sure what they want with him but he has a hunch it is not something very good.

" Are you sure Relena has told her?" Trowa asked.

" I trust Relena," Heero answered simply.

" It is now past midnight."

" Could be some unorthodox skill."

Quatre studied them carefully. " What is it that you want? I don't understand."

Heero looked at him with his famous stare. " You don't have to." 

They fell into silence again. They were all waiting, waiting for something to happen. The clock struck one. 

And it happened. It was so sudden. Quatre went stiff and his mouth opened soundlessly. He tried to move, but he could not. He was choking. He cannot breathe. His mind was in a whirl. Something, someone is taking something away from him. He cannot stop that evil. He can't. It is too strong.

As if on cue, Heero and Trowa sprang up and held him down on the floor. Trowa flashed out the Sandrock and Heavyarms tablet and hit it on Quatre's forehead. Heero did likewise with his Wing Zero tablet. 

Quatre went still. His body relaxed tremendously. That life-stealing torture was gone as swiftly as it had came. He stared at his two friends, who looked relieved to see him back to normal. Trowa extended a hand to help him sit up.

" You okay?" he asked.

He nodded thoughtfully. " What…happened?"

Heero stood up and walked to the window. There was no moon or stars tonight, only a rumbling thunder and the start of a disturbing drizzle. " Quatre, I will show you who has been making you suffer."

Sylvia bent over in pain. She clutched her head and pulled her hair. _Who…who has broken my spell? Quatre can't do it himself! He is not strong enough. There must be someone else! Who is he? _She wiped the trickle of blood from her mouth, feeling physically weak. _Damn! That bastard is formidable! _She was not prepared at all for that sneak attack.

She fell backwards on her bed. Sweat coated her face. Her body trembled with dark fury; she cannot lose to them! Not when her dream is in sight. 

The rain came down harder.

The next morning, Trowa came out of his room to find Sylvia waiting for him. Her face brightened up upon seeing him.

" Good morning, Trowa," she greeted him cheerfully.

" Good morning. Are you looking for me?" he asked her.

She lowered her voice, " Can I speak to you in private for a few minutes?"

Without hesitating, he walked ahead of her, an indication for her to follow him.

Sylvia sat down at the bench in the royal garden. " Don't you want to sit down?"

" No thanks," he answered and folded his arms.

" This is such a nice place."

" What is it that you want?"

She smiled up at him. " I have noticed that you Gundam Guardians do not like to beat around the bush. I like your style."

He eyed her without a hint of interest.

" It's about Quatre," she said softly. " I hate to see him suffer so much. He's such a nice person. You know, everyone of us has a point in life that we wish to forget because it is something that hurts us most. For me, I wish I could forget about the death of my foster parents and start life anew. I know they would want me to do that. Sometimes, I still wake up in the middle of the night crying for them. I think it is the same with Quatre."

" What do you wish to suggest by bringing this up?" Trowa asked her.

She paused for a moment. " Forget about bringing him back, Trowa. Just let him be. Don't you understand? He doesn't want to remember his past at all. It is too painful for him, both physically and mentally."

" I'm afraid you are the one who doesn't understand, Sylvia," he interrupted her. " As you have said, everyone of us have a painful point of time in life. But it is no use if we just try to run away from it. It is not helping him or you at all. Instead of being a coward, you should try to look ahead for better things. I hope that you can understand that we are not trying to harm Quatre but we are only helping him find what is rightfully his ______" 

He looked down into her eyes and Sylvia found herself blushing from his nonchalant attention. " ______ His memory."

With that, he left her alone. She was surprised, so surprised with herself. _What is wrong with me? Her face was hot and her palms were wet. She stared at the path that he had walked down. _

_Yes, it is true he is a handsome fellow but…That person's image filled her mind. _How can it be…_Shocked and unable to believe in herself, she slapped her own face hard. ___

_Sylvia Noventa! What were you thinking? Why are you thinking of him? This can never happen! Her eyes were fast becoming moist. _

" How can I fall in love with him? How can I?…" 

Quatre followed behind Noin to the dining room. He sneezed once, followed by Trowa and then Wufei in a simultaneous pattern. Duo looked at them with amusement.

" Don't tell me the three of you caught the flu bug by frocklicking in the water?" he taunted. Wufei glared at him with a Don't-talk-rot-or-I'll-kill-you expression. 

Duo continued as if he had not seen him. " No? Then someone must be cursing the three of you."

Relena could not help but grin.

Quatre bowed his head low, unable to meet any of his friends' eyes. How could he? After what had happened? Noin had personally gone up to his room and dragged him to the dining table instead of allowing him to eat in his room. He had already packed his things and was actually ready to leave yesterday morning but Heero had stopped him by saying that he should at least wait till today for he has something to show him.

Noin pulled a chair for him. " Sit down, Quatre. We are all friends."

" I…"

Noin pushed him gently to the chair. " If you are really going to leave tomorrow, let this be our last dinner together." 

He sat down without another word. 

Pargon entered with Sylvia at his side. " Tonight's dinner is very special," he announced to the group. " Miss Sylvia actually cooked all the dishes."

" Wow!" Duo exclaimed as Sylvia put down his dinner. " It looks delicious, doesn't it, Quatre?" He nudged his pal with his elbow. 

" Thank you, Sylvia," Relena said.

" It's my honour," Sylvia replied easily.

Noin looked around. " Where's Zechs?"

Heero answered, " He'll be down soon. He has some work to finish."

" Why didn't he tell me?" She got up.

" Sit down. He'll be down soon."

Noin obeyed. 

Sylvia continued to smile as she put down Heero's dinner. _In that case, I'll have to finish him off later. He's not my match, anyway._

She placed the bowl of soup down and garnished it with pepper and finely chopped tomato. Heero studied her hand. She moved her wrist a little, very little. The movement was so slight that it was easy for any person to miss it. The white powder that fell from the sleeve of her dress was instantly mixed with the fine pepper powder.

Heero was the last one to be served. Before anyone could tuck into their dinner, Heero stood up, and caught Sylvia's wrist, startling them all. 

" Sylvia, I think you have added an extra ingredient," he said to her coldly and proceeded to push up her sleeve. The small, transparent packet of white powder fell out. " Or maybe I should address you as 'spy,'" he said to her astonished, angry face.

Everyone, except him, Trowa and Dorothy, were shocked. She surveyed all them before regaining her calm.

" So, the game is over." She pushed Heero away with a mighty blow on his shoulder and turned to escape, only to be stopped by Zechs at the doorway. 

He tried to grab her but she ducked down and disappeared.  

" Where is she?" Dorothy cried. " We must catch her!"

A second later, an invisible force crashed one of the windows and the gang knew that she had escaped. There was a moment of silence and anticipation. 

Heero turned to Quatre. " It was she who had pushed you down the cliff and prevented you from recovering your memory. So, you have no reason to leave us from now on."

Quatre squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds before reopening them and replied, " I'm sorry."

Trowa said, " It wasn't your fault. She was the cause of it."

" How did you know she is a spy from OZ?" Duo asked.

" It was an intuition initially," Heero explained to them. " I have always been wary of her ever since she arrived with Wufei. I find her story and acting much too convincing and convenience. There was simply no way for us to check up her background. At first, I thought I might be too suspicious but when I caught her eavesdropping outside the door, I knew that she's not as simple as she seems. About three days ago, I saw Dorothy coming out of Quatre's room. She told me that she was suspicious of Sylvia and right then I knew my intuition right. An evil person can sense another person's evilness."

Dorothy shot back, " I am not an evil person!"

Heero replied brusquely, " But you were a notorious girl in school."

Relena patted Dorothy's arm with a little reassuring smile. 

" So after I heard Trowa's plan, I decided to tell him and Zechs my suspicions. They had their doubts at first but after I told them my plan to lure the real her out, they agreed. I deliberately asked Relena to tell Sylvia of Trowa's plan. Last night, in Quatre's room we waited for her to take action on him. True enough, she tried to harm Quatre again. If not for her, Quatre would have recovered. She wanted to break us up before killing us off one by one. 

"When her plan failed last night, she would have to take another action because she was aware that someone in here has discovered her true intention. So instead of attacking us one by one, she decided to strike all of us. When I heard that she would be preparing tonight's dinner, I knew she would try to poison all of us. So I arranged with Zechs to ambush her."

Pargon sighed. " Thank god everyone is safe. I should have realized something was wrong when she offered to prepare dinner and literally dragged me and the staff out of the kitchen."

" It wasn't you fault, Pargon," Relena said. " I would never have expected Sylvia to be a spy."

Trowa cleared his throat. " Heero, I think you and Zechs forgot something."

Upon hearing Trowa's words, Zechs stiffened and looked away. He mumbled something to Pargon who raised his eyebrows and wordlessly, trotted out of the room. Wufei caught a brief smile between Trowa and Heero.

" What are you people up to?" he questioned.

Zechs looked at Heero. " He asked me to prepare dinner for you. I was in my room busy doing that. Since you and Trowa can cook better than I do, why don't you do that?"

" Sylvia was suspecting us and if we do that and she would certainly change her strategy. I didn't want anyone to go hungry so I had to ask you."

Relena's eyes sparkled. " What did you prepare, Brother?"

Zechs folded his arms in a superior manner. " Something very easy."

Pargon came back with a big plate of…

" Sandwiches!" Duo laughed uncontrollably. " Sure you didn't mistake the glue for salad cream?"

There was a remark coming out of everyone's mouth as they took the sandwiches. 

" Not bad…" Quatre commented.

" Thank you for your compliment," Zechs said.

Wufei took one but only managed a small bite. He felt foolish for not realizing Sylvia's plot and her identity. _Cheated by a stupid girl…I ought to kill myself._ More than that, he felt disappointed in her. _Why must she fall into the Devil's path? _Why, Sylvia?…__

Heero approached him. " She had kept her identity well. Her magical abilities must be very powerful, to be able to hide it from all of us. Would you help me in destroying her? I'm sure she had a part in Hilde's death."

Wufei bit off a big part of his sandwich. " Why do you ask me? I thought you know I am always on the side of justice."

*************************************************************

Sylvia was back at the secret compartment in OZ. She and Master were having a talk behind the white curtain. 

" Sylvia, what happened?"

" Heero Yuy…I'll get him for this."

" What do we do now? Should we attack Magic Kingdom?"

" No, why mobilize the army for that small pitiful kingdom? We'll invite them here instead. Heero Yuy made a fool out of me. Let's see how he feels when he faces death."

" Don't you think you are being too rash?"

" Don't teach me what to do!"

" It's not that I want to rebuke you but you are still young. My duty is to help you and to take care of you."

" I know you mean well but this time, I am really, really angry."

" …"

*************************************************************

Lady Une knocked on Treize's door. 

" Enter, Lady Une."

It was the first time in what seemed like years that he had asked for her. She could barely speak. Did Sally manage to talk him round? 

Treize stood up from his desk. " First, I must apologize for making you worry."

" It doesn't matter."

" That monster has cheated my trust. You have no idea how I feel. But don't worry, I am all right now. I just needed time to sort things out, that's all. I'm sorry, my Lady."

Une shook her head. She was simply too happy. " I'm glad you are now back to yourself."

Treize handed a rose to her. " Forgive me." His eyes were as soft as the white clouds that idled in the sky.

" I have never blamed you," she whispered and took the rose.

" Will you go with me to see Zechs and Noin?"

" I'll go wherever you go."

Night came. It is time to sleep again. Once again, Zechs find it hard to rest. He gazed at himself in the mirror. There was nothing wrong with this immaculate reflection. He looked perfect. His face betrayed him nothing at all. 

Yet…

He sighed deeply, silently, and rose to his heavy feet. He pushed open his window and sat on the ledge. He looked down. Many a time, he had this feeling, this feeling of death. Maybe his doom is near ______ he is going to die soon. 

_Why am I being so pessimistic?_

All his life, he has been fighting for the mere sake of survival. He knows himself best. He had Treize as his friend and more recently, Noin as his assistant and…He has been fighting. He only knows how to fight. What if one day he can fight no more? What will he do? 

Zechs shook his head.

_Why am I being so pessimistic?_

What will the future be like? Will peace come? Relena…he has faith in her. She can achieve her goal. The road will be long and winding, but she can do it. He has faith in her. She can create a future for soldiers like him who only knows how to fight and nothing else. Relena can do it. So why does he still worry? More and more people are already turning their heads towards peace, dropping their wish for peace and freedom on Magic Kingdom. He is no weak man. Relena is more than a solid human form. 

_Why am I being so pessimistic?_

What is peace? What can peace do? Will the people learn? Will people ever learn that power, fame and wealth are only an ephemeral firefly? What if ten years later, after all our efforts, they pick up their weapons again? Noin, what is she thinking? Zechs know what she will tell him. She will tell him not to be so pessimistic. She will point out his good points. She will tell him what he can do. She will tell him what he has achieved. And he will appreciate her for that.

" Why are you looking so pessimistic?" someone asked him.

" And what are you doing here, Treize Khushrenada?" Zechs asked him in return. He turned to greet his friend.

" Long time no see, Zechs. Or shall I address you as Prince Millardo?" Treize positioned a hand at the side of his waist. 

" What are you doing here?" he repeated his question flatly.

His friend smiled. " I'm here to see a friend and ask him about his health. You look unhappy. Care to share it with me?"

" Friend? Are we still friends? Treize, I can take you down right now but on account of our past relationship, I will see what you have to say first."

" You are confident of defeating me, aren't you? Let me tell you, we have no reason to fight at all. Not when I'm no longer a believer of OZ."

Zechs stood up straight. " You mean…"

" I am not officially out of OZ but I have straightened out my thoughts. I shall no longer fight with them."

" You will join us?" 

Treize extended a hand. He was still the Treize Zechs knew but this time, he is jumping over to the righteous side. Zechs believed him. Treize is a gentleman with a honourable reputation built from all the years he had known him. Both men shook hands firmly. 

" Lady Une and I will help you from the inside, along with Sally Po I believe. Before we discuss anything, let's just have a chat first, a heart-to-heart chat," he said and pulled a chair to sit down. " Millardo Peacecraft, what you are doing is right. Do not doubt yourself. Believe your sister, believe the five boys, and believe that everyone is with you. They are right, you are right. You hold your own future. Make it a good one."

Zechs mused over what Treize had just told him. First, how does he know what he has been thinking? He never fails to be amazed by his perspicacity. Just a few words from him and everything make sense. Which is why Treize has always being his best friend and advisor. 

Noin came out of the bathroom to find Lady Une in her room looking at her with a pair of benign eyes. She was quickly on her guard.

" Lady Une," she acknowledged her presence.

" Hello Noin. Do not be alarm; I am no longer the Lady Une who fights against you. Treize and I have decided to help you," she answered smoothly.

Noin was still suspicious. " I don't believe you."

Une smiled easily. " I know you won't. But you believe Zechs, don't you? Treize is now in his room talking with him. If anything is wrong, he would have raised the alarm by now."

Noin scrutinized her like a hawk. _Should I trust her?_

Then Lady Une did an unexpected action. She slapped herself hard on the cheek. 

" What are you doing?" Noin exclaimed.

" This is my way of apologizing to you. I have done you wrong. I don't know how to make up for it," she replied, her voice brimming with remorse. " I will just stand here and you can hit me. I won't retaliate."

" Why do you do this? Even if you are really sorry, you don't have to do this," Noin said. She took three steps nearer to her. " If you are really sorry you should he racking your brains, thinking of a way to help us." 

Une's eyes lit up. " You forgive me?"

Noin tried to hide her smile. " You were, after all, an esteemed school principal."

She chuckled. " That was a long time ago. I now follow Treize." She extended her hand. " Friends?"

Without hesitation, she put out her hand too. " Partners."

*************************************************************

The next morning, when Quatre came down for breakfast, he was surprised to see only Relena at the table. 

" Where's everyone?" he asked her.

" Sit down," Relena said instead. " You must be hungry. Pargon has prepared a scrumptious breakfast for you."

Bewildered, Quatre sat down and started to eat his meal. He stopped after a few bites. " Have they gone out?"

" Eat your breakfast. I'll take you to a place after this," she said.

Quatre followed Relena closely. The streets were bustling as usual and no one seemed to notice them. Not that he would mind, anyway. Relena was behaving very strangely. He could not comprehend what was happening. And he had no idea what was going to happen next. He bumped into strangers and they bumped into him. He apologized constantly. Market day is not his favourite day.

He followed her to an old, dilapidated school. The school has been shut down for renovation and since it was the school holiday for the students, they need not miss any lessons at all. Relena will be overseeing the renovation work personally to ensure it will be the best learning place for all. And with the use of magic, the renovation will be over in no time.

" Wait here," she said and vanished into the building. 

Quatre waited and waited. Relena had gone in there for fifteen minutes. " Relena?" he called out. No answer.

From his back, a familiar voice responded, " Do you miss me, Quatre honey?" 

He whirled round to see Dorothy dressed in a very, very familiar school uniform. She attempted to lean onto him but he stepped aside just in time. " H-Hi Dorothy. What are you doing here?"

  " I should be asking you that," she continued to smile seductively. " Are you looking for me?"

" No, I…"

" That's so wicked of you," she put on a mock, irritated voice. " Have you forgot? We had such a nice date together."

" Huh?" Quatre was utterly confused. This is indeed a very, very strange morning. 

" Oh, that's the school bell. Do look me up ok, darling?" She winked at him and disappeared into the school building, just as Relena had. He could feel the goose bumps on his skin. 

Before he had any time to absorb what had happened, noises from behind made him turn back again. This time, it was his friends. They were all wearing very familiar school uniforms. He did not have a chance to call to them before someone started speaking.

" Who is their chief?" Quatre asked. Quatre? The real Quatre stared at the look-alike Quatre.

Duo and Trowa were shaking their heads. "No one knows," Duo said sadly. " I'm still puzzled about how we can defeat this OZ. I mean, we are only teenagers. And there are only five of us here. Plus the girls, it's only eight. Tell me, how on earth do we subdue a whole army who is as evil as the Devil himself?"

There was a brief silence. " We need to inform the girls," look-alike Quatre told his friends. They stared at him.

" You go tell them," Wufei answered. The rest murmured in agreement. 

Look-alike Quatre sighed. His friends were waiting for his answer. Heero was wearing his you-better-do-it-or-else look. Duo was grinning. Trowa, even the deadpan Trowa, was sharing Heero's expression. Wufei, needless to say.

Look-alike Quatre sighed again. " Can I say no?"

" No," all four answered back in unison. 

 " All right, I'll tell them tomorrow if I have the chance." 

They walked pass Quatre without seeming to notice him and again, they went into the old building. Quatre felt as if he was witnessing a merging of two parallel worlds where he can see them and they cannot see him. Either that or they are all blind. He ruled out the second option. Could it be they are rehearsing a play for Relena? He just cannot figure it out. 

A force, a strong force was urging him to enter the school. He started walking into the school. Quatre felt as if he could find an answer there, the final piece of puzzle to his incomplete jigsaw puzzle. The moment he stepped in, boys stream out of every classroom and brushed pass him. They were laughing, shouting, complaining and joking about something. 

Look-alike Quatre appeared again. He was walking towards Quatre with the other four boys behind him. Trowa was laughing; Heero's head was bowed but he was sniggering; Wufei was grinning like nobody's business; and Duo was worst. He was roaring with laughter. Tears were streaming down his face from his efforts.

Boys were yelling out to the embarrassed look-alike Quatre, whose face was burning hot red. 

" Way to go Quatre!"

"You little devil Winner!"

" Why didn't you tell us?"

" Tell me, is this a joke you're playing on them, Casanova?"

" Who would have dreamt of it? Our Quatre!"

Duo then stopped look-alike Quatre, who was walking faster by the second, and taunted him about being a 'playboy'. They were standing right in front of Quatre, yet he could not hear them. No, he can hear them. Just that…just that it is not their voices he is hearing now. No, it is their voices he is hearing! He is hearing their voices from another time, a time he had long forgotten, a time he treasured so fondly.

_" Playboy Quatre!"_

_" Please Duo, can you please stop? At most, I'll help you wash the dishes."_

_" Oh? Stop what? What was I doing?"_

_" Was it you?" _

_" No doubt."_

_ " It's the norm."_

_" I agree."_

_" But it isn't me! I swear by the devil himself, this time it isn't me!"_

_" But not everything is pure on earth, we have our dark moments. And eventually, everyone and everything will have to die. When we die, we go to hell. Hell is dark."_

_" Our tablets glowed!"_

The real Quatre blinked. He was so absorbed with his own thoughts that he failed to notice the already empty school. He peeped into classrooms after classrooms only to find them void. _Strange, my head did not hurt._

_ He wandered about, clueless. Soon, he found himself in the courtyard of this small school. An ancient and gnarled maple tree stood rooted forlornly in the middle, whispering unknown school tales to anyone who cares enough to sit down and listen. _

He felt attached to the tree, he did not know why. An intimate and indescribable feeling beckoned him to come closer. He touched its trunk. A tickling sensation trickled down his spine and expanded throughout his whole body. He leaned his back against it, and slid to the ground, bringing his knees up and laid his soft cheeks on them lightly. He stayed there for merely five minutes before a friendly greeting and two pairs of footsteps rudely interrupted him.

Duo waved his arms at him. " Yo Quatre! We've been looking everywhere for you." 

Trowa followed behind him. A sudden rustling from above made Quatre look up. Wufei and Heero were perched on the branches above him. He had no idea they were there all along. The thick, emerald-coloured leaves provided a good cover for them.

Trowa sat down beside him quietly while Duo shouted to the two above. " Hey Heero! Wufie boy!"

Wufei growled back in response, " Stop calling me Wufie. Or you'll regret it."

Duo simply laughed. " Wufie. I like this name better. Hey Quatre, have you done your homework yet?"

" Homework?" Quatre stared at him. _What homework?_

He squinted his eyes. " Don't tell me you forgot to do the homework that Mr. J gave us."

" You forgot to do your homework too. You want to copy from Quatre," Heero said neutrally from his position above.

Trowa shook his head in a resigned manner. " This is the third time this week."

Duo looked at all of them with large pleading eyes. He clasped his hands together. " Please, buddies. You are my buddies right? We help each other right? Please help me ok? Quatre?"

Something happened then. Something welled up inside him. It was bursting to get out. He finally understood, he finally could fathom that intimate and indescribable feeling. It was love. It was love for his friends. It was love from them. It was this special chemistry that binds them together with each other. 

And he remembered. He remembered everything. He had not forgot them at all. He had not forgot the things that had happened to him, to them, to the world. He has memories, precious and delicate memories. He has them all along. He had not lost them. He has found them back. His memories…_my memories…_

Quatre laughed. He just laughed. Maybe it was Duo who had made him laugh. Maybe it was Trowa or Heero or Wufei. Maybe he was laughing at himself. He just laughed. And laughed and laughed. 

The other four stared at him for a moment and it was Trowa who first comprehend the situation. 

" We did it. Quatre has got his memories back."

Duo let out a loud " Yes!!!" and Wufei and Heero jumped down from the tree. They crowded round Quatre and Duo pulled him into a small victory dance; the other three high-five one another and grinned from ear to ear. 

Relena, Noin, Dorothy and Zechs came out of their hiding places, clapping. The boys had succeeded. Quatre's memory has returned to him. 

Quatre looked at them, thanking them with grateful eyes. He felt as if he had not seen them in years. " Thank you, all of you. Thank you." He controlled his tears.

" This is so great," Relena said.

Noin put her arm round him. " Good to have the old Quatre back."

He blushed. " I apologize for all the trouble I have caused. I'm sorry."

" You don't have to apologize. We understand," Duo said. " Thank Trowa. It was his idea to act out this little play for you. We rehearsed till 3am last night! Just now, I was trying so hard to avoid your eyes. We roped in Dorothy at the last minute 'cause we thought she would make an impact on you since you two got along so well." He chuckled.

Dorothy flipped her hair behind her. " I must say it was fun."

" Maybe I can be an actor!" Duo said. " I didn't know I could act so well." He leaned on Quatre with an elbow.

Quatre turned to Trowa, " Thanks Trowa."

Trowa shook his head. " I just want my old friend back."

" Thank you everyone, thank you." He waited till Duo has settled down before asking, " Who transformed and acted as me just now?"

Everyone turned to look at Zechs. He smiled. " I must say it is rather hard to act as you. I am not as gentle as you."

Duo and Dorothy started teasing Quatre and it seemed they were back to their school days when they had nothing else to worry about except schoolwork, exams and getting caught by Mr. J for being up to some mischief. 

Just then, Pargon rushed in frantically with a letter. His white brows were crinkled with worry. " Miss Relena!" he said breathlessly. " Queen Relena!"

" What's wrong Pargon? Why are you so frantic?" Relena asked as she caught him before he tripped.

" A letter…OZ has sent a letter!" He handed the white envelope to her. 

                                           **_To: Queen Relena Peacecraft_**

****

**_                                                                                    From: OZ_**

****

With a deep frown, Relena tore open the envelope. Her eyes scanned the entire letter. Quietly, worriedly, she passed the letter to her brother who then gave it to the rest to read it. The words on the white-coloured letter were short, crisp and straight to the point. The handwriting was very neat, as if written by a lady.

" It's a challenge letter," Zechs said. " We will be going to another war. This one will decide all our future. This will be our showdown with OZ."

Dorothy clapped her hands. " War! We are going to war again!" Her expression was as joyful as a birthday child's. 

*************************************************************

Wufei lay on the grass. He was away from all the noise in the kingdom. Everyone is busy preparing for the showdown. He ought to be preparing too. However, he also think he should rest and sort out his thoughts. Quatre has recovered and he felt happy for him. What else is there to worry about?

Something nudged and tugged inside him. _What is it? _He didn't know. _There is something, something good, something bad. _Maybe it is some premonition. But no, it doesn't felt like one. It is something new. 

The stars shone. 

The moon glowed.

The night breeze blew.

The crickets called.

He still cannot figure it out. 


	28. Chapter 28

                Chapter Twenty-eight

Magic Kingdom gets ready to attack OZ in three days time. True, Magic Kingdom is a peaceful kingdom where people adopt peace as their very first discipline and fighting to them is a crime. But OZ does not want to talk; OZ has tried to kill them. So Magic Kingdom can only fight back. 

Despite a little protest by Relena, they still went on ahead with their plan. There is no choice now, no second way out. But they promise the people: Unless something like this happens again, something like OZ surfaces again where peace talks are of no use, they will not fight again. They will not be as cruel as OZ. They will not kill any innocent people.

And the people cheered for them, for they know that they are in good hands.

Quatre and Rasid watched as the Maganac people marched into the kingdom, each wearing a happy smile on their rugged, sun-tanned, faces. Rasid called out names and they greeted him back with loud cheers. Quatre laughed as they lifted him up into their sturdy arms and paraded him. 

" Long live Master Quatre!" they shouted. " Long live Master Quatre!"

  Heero watched these from a distance. The other boys were training with the soldiers. He had just finished a talk with Zechs when the Maganac people arrive. Quatre had returned to normal and he was glad. Trowa's brilliant plan had worked. The logic behind the plan was simple: No one can forget happy times.

_And neither can anyone forget sad times, he added to himself. He turned round to see Relena behind him. _

" Heero." She smiled at him.

" Relena." He showed no hint of surprise.

" You will be fighting OZ in three days time. How do you feel about it?" 

Though her face wore a smile, he could sense the slight tremble in her voice. Heero noticed she was wearing a pink coloured dress similar to the school uniform of the Gundam Girls' School of Magic. Her face was showing signs of haggardness from all the hard work. 

" I don't feel anything special," he replied.

" Is it?" She was looking at Quatre and his jubilant warriors. " It's so nice to have a family, people whom you can always turn to in times of need. Heero, I just want to tell you that I'll support you in anything that you do."

She had meant these as words of encouragement. " Thank you," he said after a pause.

" I'll set off with you too in three days time."

" You stay here," he said sternly.

" Why?"

" It's too dangerous. Magic Kingdom cannot lose a ruler."

Relena was comforted to hear his concerns for her. " Don't worry, I can look out for myself. I just…I just want to do something." Her voice was calm. " People are always rescuing me. I am forever the victim. Even now, this whole battle strategy, it has been you guys and my brother who has been planning it. I have never approved of wars because it is just plain brutal selfish killings. I feel that WindSong must have hated fighting too. I don't know why I feel this but somehow I just know. I am not as capable as her. After this, I intend to hand over the throne to my brother. I'm sure he can do a better job than me."

Heero was staring at her. "  Why do you have no confident in yourself? Intuition tells me you can make a good queen. If you have no faith in yourself, how can your people trust you? I guess this is our fate, so make it the best you can for yourself."

A few words from him and she felt better. " Will you go back to school after this?"

" Yes. Because that is where a student should be," he answered with no hesitation.

" I am a student too. I should return there. After that, I'll come back here. This is after all my home."

" Relena."

"Yes?"

" You gave yourself away."

" Huh?"

The wind blew his long, brown fringe away from his eyes. " I am grateful for your advice on how my future will be like but let me tell you ________ you don't have to worry about me. I am not as 'dead-brain' as you think. Don't believe what Duo say."

" I did not listen to Duo. It was just that when I overheard him talking about his future plans for himself, I started to think about you. " Her face was red. She pushed her hair behind her right ear. "Please forgive me."

He continued to look at her, but his expression now was much tender. " Relena, when I was considering my future just now, I did not think only about myself. I also had someone else in mind."

" Heero…"

The pair was barely two steps apart.

And the clock struck twelve. 

" Lunch time!" Duo announced as he jumped into his seat at the table. " Where's Zechs and Noin?"

" They should be down soon," Relena replied.

Zechs came in with Noin ten minutes later. By then, Duo was already starved. His face lit up at their arrival and he picked up his spoon, ready to satisfy his ravenous appetite.

" Sally and Lady Une sent me telepathy news just minutes ago," he announced to the group. " Treize, Lady Une and Sally will try their best to help us gain access inside. Lady Une has already told me about the secret compartment that will lead us to OZ's brain himself. OZ soldiers are all training very hard for this battle. It will be a tough fight."

Noin added, " Zechs and I drew up another plan just now. Together with what we had came up at the meeting as a group yesterday, I believe we can combine these two to bring our prowess up to a new level."

  " I have every confident in a victory," Heero said. 

  Duo waved his spoon. " We are the best, aren't we? So can we eat now?"

Wufei shook his head. _He doesn't know much about tolerance._

Relena raised her glass. " May this lead to peace and a greater harmony between the different realms. You won't kill the innocent, would you?"

" Relena," Zechs gave a tired sigh. " For the thirteenth time, I assure you we won't kill any innocent people."

" And if that Master is willing to turn over a new leaf, you would give him a chance?"

" If he is sincere, we would let him go."

Dorothy spoke up, " Since you are so worried, why don't you go with us?"

" That's what I intend to do," she said. " It's not that I don't trust you but I just want to do something. I want to do something to achieve peace and peace will start once OZ goes down. You cannot change my mind, Brother."

" Relena…" He turned to look at Heero. " What do you have to say?"

" Nothing," was The Prefect Soldier's verdict.

" It's up to you Relena. Though I would have prefer you to stay here," The Lightning Count said to her.

" Would OZ take this chance to attack us?" Trowa said.

" They won't. This is the final battle between us that will decide the real victor to rule."

************************************************************

Quatre laid the white lilies on Hilde's grave. Duo removed the weeds around it. " They grow fast don't they?"

" Even the plants know something is wrong," Quatre said. 

" Why so sad, pal?"

" I'm just worried."

" About the upcoming battle? I'll destroy OZ no matter what it takes. I promise Hilde I would do that. And if he doesn't realize his mistake, I would kill him."

" Duo, after this whole thing, let's celebrate."

" Needless to say! Hey, I think someone suggest that before. Anyway, I'll take care of the champagne!"

" But it must be alcohol-free."

Quatre knelt beside Trowa and placed the lilies on Catherine's grave. " She was like a sister to all of us," he said.

Trowa kept quiet.

" I know you missed her a lot," he said softly. " At least, you have memories of your sister. My 29 sisters on planet earth…if I meet them on the streets one day, I won't be able to recognize most of them. I meet them only once a year and it's on my birthday. But they don't stay long. They have to take care of my father's businesses. And my mother…I remember once I asked my father about her and he slapped me. He said I was too inquisitive. All of my sisters were test-tube babies, my sister Iria had told me. I was the only one of natural birth. He loved her a lot and was devastated after her death. Since then he seldom smiles.

" The reason why my sister had told me this was that she wanted me to realize how precious I was to my father and the high hopes he had on me. I promised her I wouldn't disappoint him. I promise her I would be filial to him. But my father was murdered and my family was destroyed. After that, I came here and started life anew."

" Quatre." Trowa understood his feelings.

" Sorry," he tried to laugh. " I wanted to comfort you but it ended up in me almost crying."

" I'm fine. I know what I must do. I know how I should live. After everything is over, let's celebrate."

" That's what I said to Duo and he said he will take care of the champagne."

" And you trust him?"

" Why not?"

" He'll bring the alcoholic champagnes."

" He said he won't."

" Have you ever seen Duo do shopping? He just grabs things."

One day before the battle……

Author's note: Hee, this is one of the shortest chapter of this whole fanfic. I actually wanted to take this chapter out but my hands got itchy so I just typed this out. Take it that I'm just pulling a little of your nerves and excitement, preparing you for the next chapter when they go into battle! 


	29. Chapter 29

         @~@Chapter Twenty-nine@~@

21, 000 soldiers. 21, 000 elite soldiers from different magical realms, including the Maganac people. Though they are outnumbered, Zechs made sure that these soldiers are elites who can fight half a day or more, with only the mere thought of survival in their minds. Number doesn't mean strength. Number doesn't mean power. Number doesn't mean victory. It all boils down to one question: _Are you the best? Zechs knew they have the best. They are ready. _

It was six in the morning. Noin walked down the rows, inspecting every soldier. They had no idea how many OZ soldiers they will be fighting against. Even Treize could not tell them. He knew that Master has a secret number of elites himself. However, excluding the MDs and the secret troop, they will be up against 50,000 human soldiers. Plus the MDs and perhaps the secret troop, each soldier may be up against five, six enemies, provided that they don't get killed first.

Noin gave the whole ground of soldiers a cold glare. " Soldiers!" Her voice rang in the ears of every one. They straightened themselves even straighter at the very sound of her command and the power of her magic. "You have been through wars, you have seen deaths, you have seen losers and you have witnessed survivors. You are survivors, you are the winners, and I want you to believe you are always one tough fighter. For your efforts, I salute you."

She raised her hand to side of her forehead and every soldier saluted her back. Relena appeared then. " Noin, it's been hard on you."

" This is nothing, Miss Relena, compared to all the sufferings. I am only doing what I must do. This is my duty," she said.

Relena looked at the army with a seriousness that Noin had not seen before. It was a look of dogged determination, strength and courage. _You have grown stronger Relena, _Noin thought to herself, feeling a sense of achievement on Relena's behalf. 

" Talk to them," she said to her. " Tell them how you feel."

Relena shook her head. " I'm sure they understand. They can see it in your face. They believe in you more."

" They believe in both of you," Zechs' voice reached their ears. The two turned around. " Go on Relena."

Using her magic to amplify her voice, just as Noin had done before, Relena spoke to the soldiers for the first time. " First, I would like to thank all of you. You are brave men and I admire you for that. Really, I do."

" A few words from her and the morale of the soldiers is even stronger," Zechs commented.

" She is really an amazing person," Noin said. 

" So are you."

Noin looked at him in surprise. She smiled. " Thank you."

The five boys came out soon after and they were ready to go. Battle cries rose clearly up into the sky.

*************************************************************

Lady Une knocked on Treize's office before she came in with the latest news. " Noin sent me a piece of news _____ they have set off."

Treize lay back in his swivel chair. "They are very punctual."

There was another brief knock on the door and Sally invited herself in. " Hi traitors."

" Hello spy," Treize said.

" They'll be here before noon. With the presence of the six Gundam tablets, they can get here faster. So do we have an early lunch?"

" Do you remember the plan?" Lady Une asked.

" Rest assured, I'll play my part well. I am trained in this."

" Lady Une," Treize said as he stood up.

" Yes?"

" If we are still alive after this whole thing is over, let's go live in seclusion. I know of a place, an abandoned cottage in a woods that I once discovered eight years ago. No stranger can find us there."

Sally cleared her throat. " I think I came in at the wrong time."

" Stay Sally, you can be our witness," Treize said as he held Une's hands with a firm gentleness. " I will stay by you no matter what happens, be it good times or bad times. Let's stay together."

Une was almost in tears. She could barely answer to his vows. It was an indirect way of asking for her hand in marriage. She does not care if they get married or not, as long as she can be with him. 

" Oh Treize…" She nodded her head in agreement.

Sally clapped as the pair continued to gaze into each other's eyes. " And if you ever break your promise, Treize, you can be sure that I, Zechs, Noin and all the five Gundam Guardians will be on your tail. So make her happy."

" I will. I am a man of my words," he answered sincerely.

" Ok. Sorry to break this moment up but if someone discovers you two being lovey-dovey, all our efforts will go down the drain. Bear with it; it's just for today. I will see you later, Une," she said. With a wave, she disappeared out of the room.

Two hours later, Treize made a dire announcement, calling all the OZ soldiers to assemble. The alarm is raised and their plan starts. Lady Une and Sally were deliberately put in charge of guarding the gate as the whole headquarters was replaced from its previously manual mode of fortress defense to a more destructive mode _____ magic. 

A protective shield was created outside the gate of OZ. To force open the gate they have to go through the shield first. However, the three believed that this would pose no problem to the approaching army as they have a total of six Gundam tablets with them. They can turn the 'impossible' into 'possible'. Anything is possible with them. 

Meanwhile, Master and his mute girl stayed in their secret compartment, watching all these through a magical circle of wavering air. Mute girl cocked her head towards Master, waiting for his instructions from behind his white cloth. 

" Finish off Lady Une and Sally Po," he said. " Stop them from opening the gate."

She bowed and exited through the only door in this pseudo-palace. Master turned his back on the cloth and took out what look like a hand mirror and a comb. He started to comb his hair.

Lady Une punched the last soldier in the stomach. He groaned in pain and Sally knocked him out with a chop at the back of his neck. He fell into her arms and she dragged him away to join a pile of gatekeepers, as soldiers guarding the gate were addressed, behind the nearest building. 

" He sure is the heaviest of them all," Sally said.

Lady Une tied her hair into two, tight buns. She had already stopped wearing her glasses. Sally watched her with interest. " I never know how to tie my hair into buns. The best I can do is plaits." She touched the plaited hair hanging by her shoulders. 

" I can teach you," Lady Une offered kindly.

" No thanks. I'm too used to plaits. For now."

A pair of steady footsteps caught their attention and the two women were quickly on alert. It was a servant, a modest-looking servant with waist-long hair and a guileless pair of eyes. She stopped abruptly upon seeing the two of them, apparently surprised to see them there. She quickly bowed low.

" What are you doing here?" Lady Une asked sharply. If possible, she would not want to hurt an innocent soul.

The young woman looked up, shaking her head but making no sound at all. Une then recognized her as the mute maid who has been working in the headquarters for a long time. 

" OZ is on alert. We are guarding the gate now. Turn back and find a safe place to hide. You don't want to get hurt in this battle," she said.

As if not comprehending this common language, the mute girl took two steps nearer, her naïve eyes questioning her. 

" I said go!" Lady Une raised her tone. Still, the girl moved forward. " Don't you understand?"

Sally realized that something was wrong. Lady Une was bewildered. _What is wrong with her? Is she deaf as well? _

" Get away from here!" Une tried again, swinging out an arm to accentuate her meaning. 

Sally studied the mute servant carefully. One of her hand was hidden from view. " Une! Her hand!"

Right after Sally's warning, the mute girl flashed out a dagger and lurched towards Une. She dodged the attack narrowly. _She's experienced!_ Une thought with a gasp. 

Sally fired a spell at her which she blocked easily. The maid then conjured a spell with the image of a white tiger and released it at the two of them. 

" Shield!" they both cried out at the same time.  

" It's powerful," Sally said shakily. " Who is she?"

" I don't know. All along I thought she was a servant," Une said.

The mute servant laughed soundlessly.

Une thought fast. " Sally, the Ring of Trust!"

" Third level of the Shield? O-key!"

With similar hand gestures, the two countered the girl's unorthodox magical spell with a more powerful shield spell. It pushed the white tiger back until both spells exploded, eliminating each other.

Immediately, mute girl called up another spell, and the two prepare to attack back.

Treize felt something funny in him. An uneasy feeling tickled his heart. Right away, he knew something has happened to Lady Une. He had just finished giving out instructors and briefing the soldiers on the simple and useless battle strategy he had devised. 

" Warriors of OZ, here, I give thanks to your courage and support you have for OZ." He saluted them. 

They did likewise in return. " We do it for you, sir!" someone shouted and all the soldiers agreed. Treize raised a hand to thank them and with that, exited gracefully and appropriately. He hurried on to the gate. 

Lady Une dodged the mute girl's kick and attacked with ferocity. Sally threw a wind spell without the girl's knowledge, hitting her at the back. Aroused and getting impatient from their well-coordinated attacks, a whip materialized in her hand and she swung it out, scratching Sally by the cheek and Une by the leg. Smiling sweetly, she generated a strong energy in her body and transferred it to the tip of the whip, burning the other two whenever their skin come into contact with it.

" Curse her," Sally muttered under her breath. " I don't believe the two of us can't win her."

" I have a feeling she was the one who helped that demon to injure Noin," Une said and a huge fireball formed in her hand. She aimed it at her current enemy.

The servant blocked the ball with her hand and sent it flying back to the two of them. She raised her whip but something held her back. She spun around angrily to see Treize behind her.

" Treize!" Lady Une said gratefully.

" You have your fun," Treize said to the girl and with the whip acting as a medium, he passed an electric spell to her. Her body wrung in pain but she was unable to let go of the whip. And when he finally released her, she created a quick smokescreen and fled. Treize did not bother to chase her.

" Are you all right?" Treize asked them.

" She's going back to that devil! Why didn't you go after her?" Sally asked.

" Because they would be here soon," he told her.

" You failed?" Master said as soon as mute girl came back. " So they have some help…" He closed his greenish-coloured eyes.

" Men of OZ, this is your Master." His voice boomed throughout the whole headquarters. " I hereby announce that Treize Khushrenada is a traitor of OZ. I want some of you to get that traitor at the gate and kill him and his fellow helpers. From now onwards, I will personally take over the whole command of the army."

There was a stirring as the soldiers looked at one another in confusion and disbelief. 

" I don't believe this!"

" But it's the Master!"

" All you damned fools listen to me! Haven't you heard what I said? You shall all act on my command from this second onwards!" 

" Long live the Master!" the soldiers shouted in response. Twenty soldiers hurried to the gate while the rest from every part of the headquarters listened attentively to their new strategy.

" Did you hear something?" Sally asked them. 

" I didn't," Lady Une answered. " But there seems to be some stirrings."

Treize answered their questions for them. " Looks like he has discovered who the traitors are." He paused. " Lady Une, Sally, get ready. They are here."

Outside, Zechs and the rest of the army have arrived in EverlastVille. Wufei held out his tablet and shone it at the ground, revealing two pieces of twisted-looking, green-coloured rocks placed along an invisible horizontal line.

" That is the entrance to the headquarters of OZ. This whole stretch of space between the two rocks is the length of the gate. Their headquarters exist in a small dimension of its own," he explained.

" Wait," Heero said suddenly. " Shine your tablet along the line, Wufei."

Wufei did so. 

" Did you notice a faint red line?"

" Yes."

" Did Sally or any of them ever mention a red line?"

Wufei frowned. The rest shook their heads. 

" Stand back," Heero instructed. He took out his Wing Zero tablet. 

" Twin-beam Buster Rifle!"

Two strong beams of rays shot straight ahead and hit something invisible. A translucent red wall appeared. Heero did it again and the whole protective cover collapsed. The red wall disappeared. 

Inside, Treize and the women took over. " Now!" he commanded. The three of them aimed their strongest gate-keeping magic at the gate. 

From farming to defense, every kind of magic can be found, including magic to guard the gate, which is also called the Gate-Keeping magic. They knew it was useless to pull the level located at the side of the gate because Master has taken control and the whole place is protected with his evil magic. 

Outside, Heero and the others waited with baited breath as the gate opened inch by inch, in slow motion. One- fifth… two-fifth… half…

" Hurry up," Duo prayed.

Inside, twenty soldiers had already found the traitors.


	30. Chapter 30

                    #_Chapter Thirty_#__

" They are here!" Sally said.

The group of twenty barbaric-looking soldiers charged at them. Sally and Lady Une had to fight back. The gate was half-open, but as soon as the two left, it closed by two inches. Treize was trying his hardest to keep it open. Sweat trickled down his furrowed brows and his breathing became even more intense. 

The two women could not break free from their attackers. " You can do it, Treize!" Lady Une yelled. 

" Hurry up!" Sally urged.

_It all depends on me, Treize thought to himself. He hardened his already rigid body and with a thunderous roar from deep within his soul, released all the Gate-Keeping magic he has ever learnt and acquired just to open the gate of OZ._

The gate opens slowly, steadily. Under Treize's gigantic spiritual force, the gate opened its sharp, menacing jaws. Treize pushed on. He bit his tongue in an effort to control the overwhelming force. A narrow, red line of blood flowed down the side of his lips.

More soldiers appeared to fight Lady Une and Sally, much more than they can handle. 

" Fireball!" Lady Une called out and a flaming ball of fire flew towards five soldiers. Behind the human soldiers, MDs stood in a straight line, ready to defend and attack.

Outside, Zechs held up a hand as he watched with bated breath at the now fully visible Treize through the gate. It was a signal to get ready. The five boys clutched their tablets. Relena closed his eyes to say a short prayer. Noin stepped up beside Zechs. Rashid glanced around him. _This will be a bloody battle._

Dorothy was smiling.

The gate was fully open.

Zechs fledged down his hand and the forces of good charged in for an onslaught. Treize high-five Zechs as he enters and moved aside to witness the war of a new era. His chest heaved but he was calm at heart. He wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. The compounds of OZ were strewn with courageous soldiers. The high walls surrounding the headquarters marked the boundaries to an unknown dimension. The walls were so thick and tall that he could not see its top. And the atmosphere enveloping this place has always been gloomy and suffocating. Looking carefully now, he saw that OZ is actually more of a prison, no, hell, than a place of living.

" Treize, are you all right?" Lady Une asked worriedly as she ran towards him. 

" I'm fine. Lead them in, my Lady." He nodded at Zechs, who nodded back at him from a distance.

" I'll be back soon," she said with confidence.

The MDs joined in the fight within seconds.

" Out of my way!" Duo shouted as his Twin-beam Scythe sliced through the robotic MDs. Quatre's Cross Crushers were just as sharp and swift. The other three boys were just behind them. Quatre stole a private smile at all of his friends._ That's how we should be. We should be together._

" Angel's Fury!" Lady Une formed a W-shape from her forefingers and middle fingers and sent out an earth-shaking force at the MDs. " This way in!" she called to the five boys.

They ran to her, following her lead. However, before they could reach the main building, something strange happened to Une. She bent over in pain, fists pressed onto her temples, making silent screams.

" Lady Une, what's wrong?" Quatre asked as he knelt down to help her up.

" Don't touch me!" she ordered sternly and pushed him away.

Quatre knocked onto Heero who steadied him. 

" What's the matter?" Duo asked but he dare not touch her. All five were bewildered with her sudden change of behaviour and condition. 

Une felt like banging her head against the wall. The pain was unbearable. It was messing up her mind, her sanity, and her hold in life. _Stop it! Stop it!_ _I can't stand it…Can't stand it…who…who is it…you?_ The sensation was like a cold tidal wave hitting her straight in the face. 

She gasped. The pain was gone.

The five boys observed her. No one dared to leave her behind, no matter how much they wish to proceed on. Their eyes followed her every movement as she gradually stood up, back facing them.

" Lady Une?" Quatre said in a cautious tone. 

She turned around. Her eyes were clouded.

" Something's not right," Wufei said.

She took a step nearer to them, seeing and not seeing them.

Heero's Beam Saber glowed incandescently.

The battle noises in the background drowned out her soft speech as she walked towards them.

But Trowa was no stranger to lip-sync. " Down!" he shouted out as the first wave of her attack flew over their heads and hit three human OZ soldiers instead.

_You cannot live._

In a flash, she was in front of the boys. Duo, been the nearest, was her first target. Her pincer-like hands reached out for his throat. She lifted him up from the ground, eyes seeing and not seeing. She portrayed no expression or feeling.

Duo struggled for his life. He thrashed his feet, and raised his Twin-Beam Scythe but Une anticipated his move and snatched his weapon away. She threw it aside. Duo was choking. He used his fists to hit her but it was futile. 

The other four were soon on their feet to save their partner. Heero attacked her from the back with his Beam Saber, not intending to hit her deeply. To his amazement, his Beam Saber only cut through air, and not her body. It was like Une was a ghost. Using Duo as her weapon, she swept Heero away. 

_You cannot live._

Wufei and Quatre attacked from the sides but got the same result as Heero. Suddenly Une's powers have increased tremendously. She repeated the same move to them as what she had done to Heero. Trowa knew he could not show mercy when he witnessed this. His continuous firing of Gatling Cannon's bullet rays was met with no response from her. This time, Une's body was as hard as steel. 

_You cannot live._

Duo was suffocating in her hand.

" What happened to her?" Quatre said. " She's killing Duo!"

" It's him," Heero said knowingly. His eyes were like that of an experienced slasher's. " The Master of OZ. He's playing with Une."

Duo's movements were now less vigorous. _Can't breath…_

" Duo!" Quatre leapt and threw his whole weight on Une. She only moved slightly. Wufei swept out a leg to trip her. She fell and lost her grip on Duo. The God of Death rolled aside, coughing. 

" You okay?" Heero knelt by him. 

" I almost… saw Hades," he answered, in a lame attempt to joke.

Une was up on her feet quickly and they were engaged in a tough fight with her. Heero's Twin-Beam Buster and Trowa's Gatling Cannon injured her in a round of speed. But it was still not enough to make her fall. She was injured, but her body felt no pain at all. She continued to fight relentlessly.

" She'll die if this goes on," Duo said.

Right then, Treize and Zechs reached them and Treize held Une from the back.

" Leave her to me," Treize said. " You go on in."

Lady Une tried to kick him but he blocked her sneak attack.

" Can you handle her?" Zechs asked. 

" I promise her I would go through anything with her. Now go!"

" Thanks!" Duo said and the group of six hurried into the building.

Lady Une bit Treize's arm and he let her go in pain. She pointed a finger at him and Treize, not wanting to injure her, merely blocked her magic. Une then tried to punch him. Treize, being soft-hearted, could not bear to hurt her. 

" Une, stop! It's me."

She hit him with a bolt of magic. Treize could not fight back, not when she is the opponent. He caught her wrists and held the wriggling Une tightly.

" Une, look carefully. It's me, I'm Treize."

She fought for her freedom furiously, eyes seeing and not seeing. Treize willingly took one forceful kick and another from her. 

" Une, you can wake up now. It's me. Come back, my Lady."

She stopped kicking. Her eyes were glazed at first, seeing and not seeing. W_ho is this person?…His image filled her mind. _I…know him…_She could not take her eyes off him._ He is…_She blinked once, twice. _What is his name?…_She felt her limbs relaxing under his familiar grip. Her mouth parted in an attempt to say his name. _He is…__

" Treize," Lady Une whispered his name.

" Une," he whispered her name too.

" What…what have I done? What happened?"

" He controlled you. Be more careful, my Lady."

" Yes. Thank you."

He shook his head. " It's my duty to take care of you."

*************************************************************

Noin cast a curious glance at Relena's direction. Relena was frowning. She was apprehensive, not because of her limited magical abilities, but because of her reluctant to kill any of the OZ soldiers, including the MDs. So Noin took care of the MDs for her. _She's such a kind girl, _Noin thought with a smile. 

So far, there were no deaths on both sides. It is an extremely tedious battle for both sides, especially for Noin and her side of the soldiers ______ how to defend yourself and not kill the enemies at the same time when the other party is bent on destroying you. 

" Be careful, Miss Relena," Noin said.

" You don't have to worry about me, Noin. I'm as strong as any of you." Relena gave her a thumbs up. 

*************************************************************

Zechs and the five boys ran. " You sure you know this place well, Zechs? This place is like a maze!" Duo said aloud.

" If you have stayed here for as long as I have, you won't get lost. To your right!" he said.

Zechs stopped abruptly and Duo almost knocked into him. " What the ___"

Six MDs stood in the narrow path between them and the corridor. Behind them, another group of MDs block their passage. 

" Don't they know that this passage is going to be even narrower if we all fight?" Duo commented with a mock sigh of exasperation.

" Which is why I can take down all of them at one go," Zechs said.

" I was waiting for you to say that," he said, grinning with gratitude. " Saves me some energy. MDs sure are baboons."

" Leave those at the back to me," Trowa said monotonously. 

Without another word, Zechs threw a huge ball of magic spell at the MDs, swallowing all their lightning and fire spells, and them as well. Trowa didn't even need to use any of his special Gundam magic. A simple explosion from a fiery spell and they vaporized into thin air. 

Now it was Duo in the lead as they ran ahead into a huge room with four doors leading to the different cardinal points, excluding the door that they had come in. All of a sudden, a myriad of magical arrows shot out from each of the four doors and came whooshing in their direction. They barely had time to duck down and with the unpredictable flying arrows, all six were kept busy. 

Heero immediately put on his commander's hat. " Zechs, you take the north door! Trowa, you take the east! Wufei, the west and I'll go for the south door! Quatre, you and Duo act as backups!"

" Aye Captain!" Duo said readily and everyone got into their positions. They trust Heero, for he is a natural born leader. Years of friendship with him had taught them never to go against him and his wise judgement. Zechs, even though he had only known him for a few months, had already seen the talent in Heero Yuy. And he was deeply impressed.

" Have a taste of my Vulcan!" Duo declared heroically. He threw out his ten fingers, palms down, pointing at the approaching batch of flying arrows. Bullet-like green rays shot out from the tips of his nails and seven arrows vanished under his powers. Duo jutted out his chest ostentatiously. Quatre chuckled when he saw Heero passing Duo a strange glare.

Under Wufei's Flamethrower, the arrows vanished one after another. Trowa hardly bat an eyelid as his Gatling Cannon spell from his palms burnt arrows after arrows. He was as calm and unwavering as the cold morning air. Zechs used his Heat Rod from his Epyon tablet to ward off those arrows while Heero chose to do it with his Beam Saber. He was saving his energy for that Master.

" How many more are there?" Duo said impatiently.

As soon as he finished his question, the arrows ceased to appear. 

" Was it something I said?" Duo blinked.

The whole place turned dark. 

" It is something you have said," Wufei answered him.

" Stick close," Zechs instructed them.

The six formed a rough circle, each feeling the other's body heat. Their eyes soon adjusted to the darkness. They peered at their dark surroundings, high on alert. Quatre squinted his eyes. 

" There's something glowing from the west door," he told his buddies. " It's coming nearer."

" I see two from the east door," Trowa said.

" There's one from the north," Zechs said.

" Two from the south," Heero said.

" A total of six," Quatre concluded. " What is it?"

" Ghosts," Wufei replied matter-of-factly.

" Ghosts!?" Duo repeated hoarsely. He didn't know why he was whispering" Are you very very very sure?"

" 100%. Call it sixth sense. I can just feel them."

" So is there, um, any amulet or yellow papers with red ink to ward them off?" Duo asked, in a very hopeful voice.

" Shan't the God of Death be superior and unafraid of such things?" Zechs chipped in, raising an eyebrow in the darkness.

Duo cleared his throat dryly. " Yes, I AM superior to them. I just want to save my energy on dealing with those little rascals for the master here."

" Little rascals?" Wufei snorted. " You are making a big mistake."

" How powerful are they?" Quatre asked.

" They are immune to all amulets."

Quatre had never come face-to-face with a ghost before. Neither have the rest, except Wufei who had had some small encounters. " Any tips?" Duo asked him.

" Say your prayers," he answered truthfully.

" It disappeared," Heero said suddenly as the glowing ghosts disappeared from his naked eye. He thought he heard Duo gulped.

"Ahhhhh……!" Quatre yelled as he was suddenly being lifted into the air and thrown back. There was a resonant thud as his body crashed onto a wall. Everyone was stunned. What had just happened? It was too swift for any of them to comprehend the situation.

" Quatre!" Heero shouted out.

Just then, the same thing happened to Heero. An invisible pair of hands grabbed him and flung him forcefully across the air. 

" It's those ghosts!" Zechs said through gritted teeth. 

" Come on out you cowards! It's no use hiding! You can't run away from us!" Duo cried into the darkness. A low, rumbling laughter sounded, sending a sharp chill down their spines. Wufei felt a brush of cold wind passed him. His Twin-beam Trident formed in his hand and he swung it around him. It knocked onto something and that invisible being flew back onto Duo.

" Catch it!" Wufei said.

But before Duo could react, it was gone. Then, Duo felt the ghost's cold palms on his left wrist and he was carried into the air, his whole human body being used as a turning fan against all his friends. He yelled for it to stop.

" Gatling Cannon!" Trowa called out his magical power and aimed it at the empty air below Duo. It sent the ghost flying back and Duo falling flat on the ground.

" You okay?" Trowa asked.

" Next time…give me a warning…" Duo coughed and painfully picked himself up. His mortal shell hurt a lot. 

The ghosts cleverly separated the six humans from each other, and so each of the five boys and Zechs were left to deal with one ghost each. It was no easy task, trying to subdue the invisible ghosts. 

After at least a hundred bruises each, they were all frustrated, though neither of them showed it except Duo, who was constantly hurling curses at his invisible opponent. This, however, only made his ghost hit him harder.

" What are ghosts afraid of?" Zechs asked no one in particular. 

" Amulets," Heero said.

" Like the cross," Duo answered.

" Talisman," Trowa replied.

" Don't bother, they are immune to all these," Wufei reminded them again and then fired a magic ball at his ghost, which threw back the ball at him. Wufei ducked.

" Sunlight," Heero said all of a sudden.

" But how do we get sunlight here?" Duo asked him.

" Sunlight," Quatre mumbled to himself. A bright idea struck him. " I know!"

" What do you know?" Zechs asked as his ghost sent him a punch on his stomach.

" I know how to make sunlight!" he said excitedly. Quatre held his tablet tight for a moment, muttering a quick spell under his breath and threw his tablet high into the sky. " Show it to them, Sandrock!"

Sandrock spun in the air, growing brighter by the minute. A gigantic, orange-coloured ball materialized in the air, lighting up the whole room. It looked like the sun had fallen from the vast universe right into this room. The boys shielded their eyes. 

Deafening screeches rose into the air and one by one, the ghosts appeared, attempting to escape. The boys sprang into action immediately, wasting no second. Duo's Twin-beam Scythe sliced his ghost into four parts and Zechs cut his into two parts with his Heat Rod. Heero's Twin-buster Rifle served as a deadly ghost-vanquishing tool; Trowa destroyed his with a simple spell; Wufei decided to use a Yang magic spell he had learnt from his own private lessons; and Quatre subdued his with a Vulcan magic spell.

The 'sun' disappeared as soon as all the ghosts were destroyed and Sandrock flew back to Quatre's palm. The room light up again. " Thank you," Quatre whispered to his Sandrock.

" That was brilliant, Quatre," Duo complimented him. 

" I just thought of it suddenly when Heero said that ghosts are afraid of sunlight," he said modestly.

" Credit goes to you," Heero said and turned to Zechs. " Where do we go from here?"

" The west door," he said and then added, " The west stands for death." (Author's note: In case you are confused, let me explain. In Chinese saying, if someone says he will send you to the west heaven, it means he wants you dead. Often in martial arts story, the villain will challenge the hero by saying that he will definitely send him to the west heaven.)

 Zechs led the gang to the west door but before they could step out of that room, barbaric shouts echoed from every wall, forcing the six to retreat back again. Top OZ soldiers streamed out of the four doors, sealing off all their exits. Unlike those that they usually fought with, these soldiers wore dark green uniforms, resembling a ninja suit. Once again, they were forced to stand in a circle, shoulders against shoulders.

" Looks like they really intend to make this place here our cemetery," Zechs said with a slight grin.

" Confident, aren't they?" Duo said.

" Remember, we are the best."

"Needless for you to say."

" Same battle strategy as the previous one," Heero said. " Only this time, take them down faster."

" You are even more confident," Wufei told him.

" Because…" Heero began.

" WE ARE THE BEST!!!" all six yelled out in unison, as if they were singing the same national anthem. 

The two sides attacked at the same time, each not intending to let the other free until he is dead. These secret soldiers of Master were stronger, faster and more powerful. Neither side was willing to budge. There were about 100 of them, by a quick estimation. More just kept streaming in from the doors. These soldiers have no leader, they found by instinct, and instinct told them to fight merely for survival, which is what make them powerful. 

They will need time to conquer all of them. But the six were running out of time. The longer they stay here, the more they worried about the world. Will that nameless Master seized this opportunity to release something harmful upon the realms? Just the thought of it make them fought harder. But they have one problem __________ they had promised Relena not to kill any living beings.

" Damn it! Why don't they just fall down?!" Duo shouted impatiently.

" Don't get impatient," Trowa said. " If you do, you are falling into their trap. They are out to kill us."

A thunderous explosion blast at the west door stole their attentions for a while. Together with a troop of thirty soldiers, Noin dashed in with Sally and Relena, injuring the soldiers at the west door as they came in.

" Noin!" Zechs said in astonishment.

" Relena and I sensed you people are in trouble and so we came to help," she said briefly. " Now go! Leave them to us!"

" Be careful, Noin. And thanks," Zechs said softly.

Zechs lead the boys away from this battleground to a new one.

" Heero," Relena said as she watched him go.

Heero turned. " Relena," he spoke her name fondly.

With hope glistening in her eyes, she gave him a firm nod. _You can do it, I believe in you. _

Heero opened his mouth to say something, but then decided against it. He turned and ran down the west door. Relena watched the back shadow that she had grown to treasure and love. _He's so thin,_ she thought with a brief wrenching in her heart. 

" Relena!" Noin shouted. " Behind you!"

Relena spun about quickly and released a fire spell at her approaching attacker. _I will grow even stronger. For myself, for my brother, for the kingdom… for Heero. _

*************************************************************

" Fight!!! In the name of the Maganac people! Fight!!!" Rasid's deep, throaty voice carried lucidly across the bloody battlefield. He stole a curious glance at Dorothy who was standing opposite him. He did not know what she was thinking. He thought she was with them. Yet, she did not do anything. She just stood there, watching the entire battle, a huge smile hanging on her lips. Occasionally, she turned to look at the building, as if she could see what was happening inside there right now. 

Rasid frowned. _What is she up to?_

Dorothy caught his eyes. She smiled widely at him, tilting her head to a side. She flicked her silky blond hair behind her shoulders and placed her hands behind her back. On this battlefield, she felt like a queen. A Queen of Wars. This excitement, this exhilaration, the unexpected, and the emotions…she can feel them all. Her lean body quivered._ This is war! Thank god for letting me live in this world, born at the right time. _

A piercing scream from behind her made her turn around. An OZ soldier collapsed at her feet, seriously injured. One look at him and Dorothy knew for the rest of his life, he could no longer fight. No, he was not crippled or anything like that but this war had made his soul weak. So weak he could barely stand up. 

His weary eyes stared up at her. He said nothing to her, yet he seemed to be saying something to her. Dorothy stared back at him. Suddenly, she felt giddy. She was still smiling, but the joy that was inside her had vanished without a trace. Instead, a dark cloud had shrouded her. Something is not right. 

Her fingers moved. It was calling up a spell. Her left palm was aimed at the pilot's heart. She cannot stop herself._ What…he wants to die?…You want to die?…I'll let you die…_

Her breathing hastened. A kind of recklessness rose in her. _What is it? Is it also fear I feel? The OZ soldier continued to look at her. A small smile lit on his lips. He was resigned to fate. He has to die. And he was willing to die at Dorothy's hands._

The spell in her palm became a brighter red. It glowed like fire and it felt like fire. 

" Dorothy Catalonia!" a voice yelled at her and shoved up her arm roughly, so that the red-coloured spell fired upwards into the sky at nobody, instead of the despondent soldier. The person was none other than Rasid.

Dorothy glared at him for a moment. " What are you doing, you foul man?!" she screamed at him.

" Why don't you ask yourself what you are doing!" he spat back at her. Then, he turned at the injured soldier, an expression of contempt and disguise in his eyes. " How dare you…how dare you even think of using this girl here as a weapon for your suicide? What kind of a man are you?"

He was in too much pain to laugh. " I have lost…I am in…pain…so I die…" he said with a wince.

" You have no rights to put manipulate this innocent girl into killing you! Your mother who has gone through pain to borne you, people who love you, you think of them! Don't you dare tell me no one cares for you because somewhere out there someone do care for you!"

 He started to cry, a shameless act for a defeated man. 

Rasid turned to Dorothy. " And you ______ if you think war is a game, then let me tell you: It is not. If you love war, if you love to see people dying, why don't you just go to hell yourself?"

" You shut up! You don't know anything! You don't know anything at all!" she screamed, her body quivering with…what? Cold? Fear? 

" True, I may not know how you feel, I may not understand you but I know one thing: You are one girl who is seriously in need of care and love. I don't have more time to knock sense into your head now. I have things to do." With that, Rasid turned and left her to continue fighting with his comrades.

For a moment, Dorothy could not think. His words kept replaying in her mind._ You are one girl who is seriously in need of care and love. _

_" Are you going to war again, Daddy?"_

_" It is where I belong."_

_" I don't want you to go!"_

_" Go away, Dorothy. Our family has always been fighters. You will understand someday."_

_" Dorothy, my father told me your father is the one who started the last two wars, is it true?"_

_" Come Dorothy, let's go."_

_" No! I want my mother and father!"_

_" They are dead! Don't you understand? It's the war! Let's go!"_

_" Then I will go and be with them!"_

_" Dorothy!"_

_" War can be very beautiful…"_

_" Beautiful?"_

_" To die for a cause you believe in, that is what any honourable person should do."_

_" But war…it has killed many innocent people too. I saw it on television."___

_" We are all born to die. Come, let me tell you some stories."_

_" Okay!"_

" Mother…Father…" Tears fell. Dorothy felt weak. She could not stop her tears, her sorrow, her anguish. It has been a long time since she had cried. A very long time.

Rasid saw her crying. The tears just flow down her face. Her body was shaking. She was staring straight ahead in a daze. Most girls and women he had known and seen would have dropped to the ground by now, sobbing uncontrollably in huge gulps. But not her. She was looking at something that was not there. Something from her memory, perhaps. _She has suffered much,_ Rasid thought to himself. 

*************************************************************

Zechs found the secret compartment. Together with Heero, he pushed it open and the six of them went in. The passage was dark at first and they thread their way down the stairs carefully, not knowing what lie in wait for them. As they walked further in, they noticed that the walls emitted dim light just enough for one to see a few feet in front. 

" After all this is over, I'm going to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate," Duo said.

" You have said that before," Quatre said.

" I know. But this time, I want it to be an expensive bottle of champagne."

Then, they had come to the end of the stairs into the grand room that is the secret abode of the Master. There, with the throne chair covered in white cloth, sat the ultimate figure of evil: The Master. In front of him was the mute girl. Upon seeing them, she walked down the steps and greeted them in the middle of the room. Zechs eyed her.

" Welcome, welcome to my humble abode," Master said, voice lined with heavy sarcasm. " I hope you like it here."

" It's nice, no doubt. Very cozy and pleasant," Duo replied easily. " But don't you find it a bit too hot and stuffy since it's underground? I would very much prefer the beach to this so even if you had begged me to stay here because of my manly stature, I would have to turn it down. On account of all my friends, thank you very much." 

In a time like this, no one would be able to laugh. And no one did. 

" How did you ever stand sitting beside him in class, Quatre?" Wufei asked.

" I had no choice. No one else wanted to sit beside him," Quatre answered. 

" But you still scored the highest for your exams," Trowa commented.

" Well, after a while, you can just shut him out. It's just like meditation."

" Then you have attain the highest level," Heero concluded. 

" Hey, give me a break ok?" Duo said to them.

Master started laughing. There was something very, very familiar in the way he laughed. Everyone of them frowned. The mute girl got ready to fight. 

" Don't be rude, Len," Master told the mute girl. " They are after all the chosen ones. I am hoping to get a closer glimpse of their Gundam tablets and witness it's oh so terrifying power."

" Who are you exactly?" Heero stepped forward.

" Does it matter?" he asked.

" Since you know who we are, we have a right to know who you are," Duo said. 

Master stood up and the white curtain that was concealing him vanished. He was covered from head to toe in a black cloak. He did not seem as gigantic anymore. When that white cloth disappeared, he seems to have shrunk too. The others realised that the cloth had acted like a smokescreen.

" Coward! Show yourself!" Duo taunted. " Don't think you can hide from us just by covering yourself up! 

From behind his cloak, they could picture him smiling. Master held the hood of his cloak, ready to reveal himself. All six waited. Who is he exactly? What does he look like? The mute servant smiled. She has long known who Master is, his real identity. 

Master removed his hood.

They could not believe their eyes.

It is not true, is it?

Master began to laugh at their stunned, incredulous expressions. It was too hilarious. 

The laugh rang loudly in their ears and it travelled out of the secret room to outside, throughout the whole place. People stop fighting.

Master's illusion formed in the sky for everyone to see. None of the OZ soldiers could believe it either. 

" That's…Master?" they asked each other.

" How can it be?" Rasid asked himself. He had never seen anything like this. 

Dorothy gasped. _Oh my god…She had not expected it either. She did not think it would be like this. _

Treize and Lady Une looked up in the sky. It had turned dark now, very dark and gloomy. The face continued to laugh.

" Treize…that's the Master?"

"… Let's go!"

Sally, Noin and Relena rushed to the compartment. This laughter…could it be? No one was prepared for it. 

It does not seem possible.

But the unexpected has happened, the unpredictable. 

Master is not the man whom they had thought to be.

Master is not a man at all.

Master is not a woman either. 

Master is a girl.

Master is Sylvia Noventa. 


	31. Chapter 31

*~*~Chapter Thirty-One~*~*

" Why?" Heero asked her. 

" No why," Sylvia answered with a shrug. She took off her black cloak to reveal a pink gown with long sleeves. " Don't you like this gown? It's velvet. Len made it for me. I told her, 'Len, no lace. Boys don't like lace and neither do I.' I told her to make sure it is an easy flowing gown which would not restrict my movements at all. Isn't it lovely?"

" You mean you are the head of OZ all these years? For so long?" Quatre asked in disbelief.

" Not exactly. Only about, hmm…twelve years. We of the Noventa family know a secret to prolonging our lives, thanks to an ancient tradition. Len is a Noventa too. Though she is not my sister, I see her as part of the family. In fact, she is my only family." Anyone witnessing this situation would have thought Sylvia has gone mad. However, the boys knew she was far from it. She knows what she wants. She is only trying to make them more confused. 

" I don't believe this…is this a joke?" Duo shook his head.

" A joke?" Sylvia's eyes gleamed with interest. 

" You had spent some time with us," Zechs explained. " You were with us. If you were gone, who is the Master that was here, giving orders to Treize and the others?" 

Sylvia cocked her head to a side, as if they were all morons. " Len, who else? No one else here knows who I am."

" Len is a mute, she can't talk. How can she give orders?" Zechs asked again.

" Did I ever say I'm a mute?" Len spoke in a deep, throaty man's voice suddenly. This came as a second shock to the Gundam boys and Zechs. 

Sylvia laughed. " Now you know why. Len's a man. But he wants to be woman. I can't stop him from doing that, can I? She has been with our family for thirty years. Doesn't she still look so young and sweet?" 

" I thank your compliment, Miss Sylvia," Len replied in her man's voice. " I'm not a mute, I just hate to talk. Besides…" She changed her voice into one that has grown very familiar with all of them, the ambiguous voice of Master. " I prefer this voice better."

" The sixth level in the Speech of Echoment, just in case you are not aware of such a spell," Sylvia said, tossing her hair. " It can allow a person to transfer his or her voice to another person. Sort of like lending Len's voice to me. No one would listen to me if I speak to them in such a girly voice."

Wufei took a step forward. " Young girls like you should not be playing such foolish games."

Sylvia glared at him. " Foolish games?"

" You are a girl, what for waste your life on this suicidal mission? Someone like you should not take the place of the evil!"

" What do you know, Chang Wufei?" Her eyes began to water and she clenched her fists. She was shaking from rage and grief, her face reminding them of a person who has gone through pains and tribulations in her life. " What do all of you know?" Sylvia tried to keep her tone level. 

" OZ was formed exactly thirty-five years ago from today. My mother Olia and my father Zerpheious were rulers of the Realm of Hell, which had since ceased to exist. They had ruled there for fifty years. There were friends, and there were enemies. They were very cautious people. 

" It is their wish to rule the realms, to expand their powers. People have always seen the Realm of Hell as an evil realm. But it is not! My parents were great rulers. Those rulers from the other realms were wastrels! They know nothing. They are always talking about peace and war. If we were all one great big magical realm, there would be no cause for war. Power shall solely be ours. 

" With this, my parents set about to prepare to conquer the realms. So they created an organization, OZ, to help them. It would be the most powerful army in the universe. For five years, this clandestine army was trained in a place that only my father and mother know. I was born then.

" However, my uncle discovered about the army and came to know of my parents' plan. He had long been eyeing the throne of my parents. And so he killed my father and wanted to make my mother his wife for she was a highly intelligent woman. With great difficulties, she managed to escape with me. My uncle was an idiot. The plan of my parents' soon leaked out to the other realms and they killed him. It was his comeuppance. 

" My mother and people of OZ were banished from the Realm of Hell. Subsequently, the Realm of Hell was bought over by EverlastVille. Now you know why EverlastVille is one of the biggest realms around. It was because of my realm! My mother started plotting for revenge. The universe is hers! And evil people like you have taken it away from her! So she created this dimension for OZ. The people were loyal. They followed her. My mother vowed to become stronger and she would do anything for it. So she stole great magical books and elixirs. She was a patient woman. She did not hurry. She waited for the right time. She took on the role of a man, a warrior to rule OZ. 

"A few years later, her voice began to change and she started wearing veils, scarves and cloaks to hide her biological changes. It was due to a strong magical reaction in her body. Ever since I learnt how to talk and read at three, she shut me in a room with Len and personally coached me. And I guess all the soldiers in OZ forgot about me. 

" Twelve years ago, she stole another magical book. But the magical book turned out to be a fake. She realized it too late and died from her injuries. And I took her place. I will fulfill her wishes and make her dreams come true. My mother had suffered much. I want to make her proud of me! Before she died, she managed to transfer all of her magic to me. I have my mother with me, she has always been with me. And I will make her wish come true now!"

She pointed a finger at them and Len immediately rushed forward with her whip to attack them. Sylvia watched. Her eyes were brimming with hatred, tears threatening to spill over. She looked at the boys, at one of them. Suddenly, she felt disturbed. _Would he win? Would they win? She did not want him to lose, but neither did she wish to lose. _

_If only we were together, if only we were not at opposite sides. She gazed down at her pink gown. _Mummy used to love pink._ _

Len's attack came so swift and sudden that the six of them just barely escape from it. Zechs got a scratch on his wrist. Len was fast with her attacks. She took on Heero, while keeping the others away from him. 

" Shield!" Heero called out his protective shield. He could not risk calling out his Beam Saber for fear it might be snatch away by Len's whip. 

" Vulcan!" Quatre's Vulcan spell shot towards Len. Without even turning her head back, Len aimed a spell back at Quatre. Her spell vanquished the Vulcan spell and injured Quatre. He flew back and hit a pillar. 

" Quatre!" Duo ran over to help him.

" I'm…fine…" he replied painfully. " Help Heero…"

Wufei stretched out his arm. " Flamethrower!" The sneaky Len did not budge until the very last second. She ducked down abruptly and so the flame headed straight for Heero. Luckily, Heero's shield was strong enough to withstand it. 

Len seized this chance to release a blue-coloured spell at the distracted Heero from the side. It sent him flying back, knocking onto Trowa who tried to cushion his fall. Both of them hit another pillar. 

Duo, Wufei and Zechs all attacked her at once.

" Twin-Beam Scythe!"

" Twin-Beam Trident!"

" Beam Sword!"

All three did not manage to exchange more than three blows with her before she defeated them with her sleek moves. Len has one thing that the others lacked most. Experience. She has been in the world longer than any of them.

" Well done, Len," Sylvia said.

Len merely smiled in response. 

Just then, Relena, Noin and Sally arrived. " Sylvia Noventa!" Noin exclaimed aloud in shock.

" Hello," she greeted them with fake politeness. 

" Heero!" Relena called to him when she saw him injured.

" Kill them," Sylvia ordered.

" Wind Attack!" Sally tried to drive Len back with a mighty gale. Len averted it easily and turn the wind back on the three women. They slid across the floor and were only stopped by a gray, concrete wall. 

" Now you see why you cannot defeat me," Sylvia told them smugly. " If you surrender and join forces with me, I will make all of you high ranking officials in OZ. You will feel not the need to ever cry again."

" Really?" A voice answered for them out of nowhere.

*************************************************************

Outside, the battle had started again between the forces of good and evil. The OZ soldiers were well trained. They overcome the shock they had for their Master and retaliated back. It was a tough fight as the strength of both sides was on par.

" Rasid!" one man yelled out to him, pointing at the gate. Rasid squinted his eyes to try to recognize the army of shadowy figures that were at the gate. Rasid broke into a huge grin.

" Fight people! Our reinforcements are here!" he roared.

It was the five professors, Howard and people of the EverlastVille. 

" Thank you Howard, for letting us witness this," Mr J said.

" You should thank the people of EverlastVille," he said. " They have decided to stand up against OZ. Let's go!"

OZ soldiers fought but without a capable leader like Treize, they were on the losing end. They became desperate. They knew they were losing and it was hard to swallow. Dorothy was still watching them. She did not want to interfere. J looked at her. 

" Dorothy, you have your wish. You have seen war. Is this what you really want? Twenty, thirty years down the road, do you still want to see this, for everyday of your life? In class, I agree with you that it is human's nature to fight for what they believe in. But there is also a part of human's nature to want to live peacefully. Do you understand?" He smiled at her.

Dorothy looked up at him. Her mind suddenly felt at peace. She felt warm at heart. _I have been carrying the burden of my past for too long. I have been trying to cheat myself. I have been telling myself that what my father had done was right. I did not want to believe he was wrong. _

She ran to the nearest OZ soldier and began to treat his wounds using her healing magic.

" Why are you saving me?" he asked her.

" Because I want to."

*************************************************************

" Treize Khushrenada," Sylvia acknowledged him, drawing out the syllabus of his name slowly and carefully. " My faithful servant, how are you? In case you do not know my name, I am Sylvia Noventa, daughter of Olia and Zerpheious." 

" You surprised me. I have to admit that you are indeed a capable leader," he said graciously. Beside him, Lady Une frowned.

" Thank you, and so are you," Sylvia replied.

" However, you should stop playing such foolish games. Girls like you should not be doing this. I don't know what made you like this, but I will help you."

Sylvia turned purple, literally. She clenched her fists so tight that one could see the green lines of her veins popping out. 

" Well-said," Wufei said aloud.

Len launched her attacks at Treize and Lady Une.

" Kill them all, Len," Sylvia growled. " Kill them." 

" Don't be afraid of this woman here," Treize said as he exchanged blows of magic with Len. " Have you all turned weak upon realizing the truth?"

" Ha," Duo said as he pushed himself up. " I think you are the one who doesn't know the truth yet…she here is a he."

" A he?" Lady Une stared at Len in disbelief. 

" Isn't he a beauty?" Duo mocked as he joined in the fight with Treize.

" Who are you calling weak?" Wufei joined in too.

Quatre, Trowa and Heero all started fighting against Len. 

" Gatling Cannon!" Trowa held out his hands and the bullets of rays shot out like meteor rain. One of them hit Len.

" Good work, Trowa!" Duo praised him.

Len glared at them in silent rage.

Meanwhile, Noin was helping Relena. " Are you all right?"

" I'm fine," she said. " What about Sally?"

" I'm okay…" Sally grimaced. The front of her outfit was stained with fresh blood. 

" You are hurt!" Relena exclaimed. 

" This little injury won't kill me," Sally said, sounding breathless.

Len glanced in their direction. Her mouth curled into an iniquitous smile. She swung her whip around her enemies dangerously and with much force. Treize and the others backed off from her immediately. Without any warning, she ran towards Noin, Relena and Sally. She brandished her whip at them. None could escape in time and they were all at her mercy. She hit them again and again. 

" You foul transvestite!" Duo cried out in anger. He and Zechs tried to save the three but Len thwarted their plan.

Sally screamed. Len had hit her open wound.

" Twin Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero's magic shot at Len and she got out of the way with only a slight injury on her thigh. Heero gritted his teeth. 

Len smiled. _You can't kill me, neither of you is my match. Heero, Duo, Trowa and Wufei charged forward and fought hard. Lady Une joined them. Quatre was attending to the three women._

" Sally, hang on there," Quatre said as he transferred some healing magic into her.

Noin rolled up Relena pants to reveal a deep cut on her knee. " Don't bother about me, Noin," Relena said painfully. " Go help the others."

" Zechs asked me to look after you. I will treat you first," Noin said and proceeded to tearing one of her long, white sleeves to bandage Relena's knee.

Meanwhile, Treize was studying this transvestite, trying to find a weakness. Zechs was beside him. 

" What are you thinking?" Zechs asked.

" If he is a she…" Treize mumbled to himself. " Zechs, I need your help."

" Huh?"

Len swung her whip at Trowa who quickly ducked down. Wufei tripped her but before any of them could retaliate back, Len was up on her feet. She threw a ball of spell at them and they backed away.

" Damn, she's fast!" Duo said angrily.

" Losing confidence and cursing again?" Treize asked him.

" Says who?" Duo said.

" Young man, watch and learn. We will need the five of you in the next round. So for this round, allow us. After all, we have more experience than you."

Duo merely stared up at him. Treize smiled easily. 

" Zechs, ready?"

" May I ask why am I the one to do it and not you?" Zechs said as calmly as he could.

" Because Une is watching me. Noin is busy with Relena. Ready and go!"

With lightning speed, Zechs sped over to Len and exchanged several blows with her. Without her realizing, Treize had crept up silently behind her and snatched her whip away from her. Len was taken aback. _They are so quick, especially this Zechs man. _

Then, Treize caught Len by her arms and held her tightly. She struggled to free herself. And to all their amazement, Zechs lifted the long, yellow skirt of Len with his foot quickly. Of course, Len was wearing a pair of long white pants underneath because she is fighting. Before Len could react, Zechs kicked her in the face and Treize injured her with his magic. 

Duo's jaw drop. Before Zechs had kicked her, he noticed that Len had blushed when Zechs lifted her skirt. Not only him, but all the other boys had noticed it too. And they could not believe their eyes. 

" Zechs lifted her…I mean, his skirt…" Duo sputtered. 

" He's treating him like a woman, a real woman," Heero said with a tiny grin. " Real clever." 

Trowa laughed and Wufei coughed.

Relena widened her eyes when she saw Zechs doing that. " Noin…"

" Yes?"

" Did you see that?"

" See what?"

Noin turned around to watch, and so did Quatre and Sally when they heard Relena.

" One more time!" Treize called out to Zechs.

" Get away from me!"  Len shouted at them as she/he shot balls of fire at them.

Zechs tried to ignore his manly voice as he grabbed Len by the waist and deliberately put his face near her. Again, he/she blushed and become flustered. Treize hit her with his powerful magic, this time seriously wounding her. Zechs then roughly shoved him/her aside. Len fell to the ground, defeated. 

" Good job, Millardo," Treize complimented his partner with a wide grin. Behind him, Lady Une and the five boys was grinning too. 

Zechs tried not to shudder. He stole a glance at Noin. Her facial expression made him blush ______ it was a mixture of disbelief, astonishment and bewilderment. He would have to do a lot of answering later on.

" Len!" Sylvia cried aloud. She glared at Treize and Zechs. " You will pay for this."

She pointed a finger at them and immediately, they felt weak. She was draining all of their energy. 

" Not so easy," Lady Une said. She closed her eyes, forefingers and thumbs touching and began to mutter a counter-attack spell that soon broke Sylvia's spell. Sylvia's anger rose.

" You are nothing, Sylvia," Duo taunted. 

Len struggled to pick herself up, totally humiliated at being taken for a fool. 

Heero held out his arms, fists together. " Twin-Beam Buster Rifle!" The golden light headed in Sylvia's direction.

Out of nowhere, Len jumped into its path and tried to block it. But due to her injuries, she could only withstand it for a while before the magical light overpowered her. 

 " Len!!!" Sylvia screamed. " Get out!"

" Sword," Treize commanded and a magical sword appeared in his hand. With a steady, regretless bearing, he lifted himself just a couple of inches above the ground and flew toward Sylvia with incredible speed. He must kill this monster.

But before he could even reach the bottom of the steps leading up to where Sylvia stood, Len threw herself at Treize and tried to snatch away his sword. In their brief tussle, Len accidentally pushed the sword into her own abdomen.

Time seemed to stop for Sylvia as she watched her beloved friend and caretaker fell to the ground heavily, blood gushing out and staining the front of her beautiful cotton dress. 

Len wanted to say something, but she could not do it. She could only taste blood in her mouth. Mentally, she passed this message to her esteemed Master.

Forgive me… 

That was it. 

Len's blood dripped from Treize's sword. It continued to drip and drip.

Treize saluted the dead Len. " You were a brave warrior."

Sylvia began to quiver. She could not control herself anymore. 

Relena sat with the injured Sally as Noin and Quatre stepped forward to aid the others.

" Be careful," Zechs told every one of them. His Beam Sword materialized in his hand. 

One by one, they called out their weapons silently. 

The final battle is about to begin.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

The ground shook violently. Sylvia was building up her powers. Everything that was inside her, she would have to bring it out and secure herself in a brand new world that she had often dreamt about. _I don't care if you have the Gundam tablets. I don't care if you are the Gundam Guardians. I don't care at all!!!_

"Elements of Nature – Earth!" Noin called upon her magic. She shall be the first to strike against Sylvia. 

" Noin, careful!" Zechs warned. 

In front of them, the ground rose up in a clumsy pattern and formed a jagged line towards Sylvia. It damaged the steps leading to the throne chair. A sharp look from Sylvia and an explosion stopped Noin's spell. 

" Up!" Sylvia commanded in a supreme voice. 

The ground rose again. This time it built a wall around the five boys, Zechs, Treize, Noin and Lady Une. Relena and Sally were left outside. Sylvia smiled and flew inside it. 

" Heero!" Relena shouted, running towards the huge mould of earth.

" Elements of Nature – Fire!" Relena cried, trying to break the mould. To her horror, her spell rebounded back. She ducked down as fast as she could. The fire hit a pillar, causing it to collapse.

" Miss Relena, are you okay?" Sally said, limping towards her. 

" I'm…okay. I hope they are all right. My brother and Heero…" Relena said, looking very apprehensive and tensed.

" I'm sure they will be fine," Sally said. " We will wait here for them." Though she sounded very sure, her heart felt otherwise. 

************************************************************

Outside the building, the OZ soldiers were finally brought down. The good were busy rounding up the OZ soldiers, forcing them to throw down their weapons. The last of the MDs were destroyed too, thanks to the five professors. Howard gave a strong pat on Rasid's back.

" Well done," Howard said.

"The battle is not over yet," Rasid answered. " Until Master Quatre and the rest of the Gundam boys step out from that building, the battle is still going on."

" You are right. Right now, we can only pray."

************************************************************

Sylvia landed in front of her nine opponents. Her evening gown was not suited for the battle at all. It was made for a night of dancing in the king's ballroom, with the girl resplendent in golden lights. She looked like an angel. As she landed, with her delicate feet touching the smooth, reflective floor and hands cupping her abdomen, the nine of them could not help admiring her beauty. One could imagine wings growing out of her back. 

But reality proved otherwise. " Say your prayers," she said, mouth curling upwards. She held out her right hand, as if waiting for her Prince Charming to lead her away on a white horse. Rays of light formed around her and shot towards the nine like arrows. 

They could not dodge. In fact, there was no way for them to dodge. The rays of light were everywhere. Treize held tightly onto Lady Une, trying to shield her. He was hit again and again.

" Treize, don't bother about me," Lady Une said shakily. She could feel her heart breaking.

" I let you down once. I am never going to do it again," he said, gritting his teeth in pain. 

" Treize…"

" Gatling Guns," Trowa called out his powerful magical weapon. The red coloured gun formed in his hand and he shot it towards Sylvia. 

With a wave of her other arm, Trowa's Heavyarms' spell dissolved into thin air. In one of those rare times, he showed amazement on his face. " How…" he asked himself.

Sylvia stopped shooting those rays of light. She put down her right hand and held out her left hand. " You have underestimated me. If you think I am only a woman, think again."

" When I said you shan't be playing such games, I mean it!" Wufei shouted at her and the green lines of his Dragon Fangs snaked towards her. It caught her wrists and Wufei pulled to tighten it. 

" Flying Bats!" Duo thrust out his fists and opened it, fingertips pointing at Sylvia. Bat-like shapes flew at Sylvia. 

Sylvia threw a sharp look at the Flying Bats and it dissolved like Trowa's spell. Duo clenched his fists in frustration. Next, she turned to look at Wufei. His body began to stiffen unnaturally. His hands moved unwillingly, calling back his Dragon Fangs and freeing Sylvia. She looked away from him and smiled in triumph at the rest of them. He stumbled back and gasped, as if he had been holding his breath for too long. 

" That is not the right way for a guy to treat a girl you know," she said.

" Then I will show you how one girl treats another!" Noin replied and together with Lady Une, they threw her a spell.

"The light of all life, power of earth – Sunbeam!" both of them chanted in unison. 

Their will was strong. But so was Sylvia's will.

" You can never beat me!" she yelled at them and threw a dark red-coloured spell to counter their Sunbeam. The two spells exploded. Lady Une and Noin stumbled back several steps to reduce the impact. Blood trickled down from Noin's mouth. She had bit her tongue by accident.

Seeing that Sylvia's concentration was on the two women, Heero silently held out his hands, fists touching each other. He mouthed something and the yellowish-gold light burst out from his hands. It travelled straight towards Sylvia. 

Sensing something was wrong, Sylvia quickly turned sideways in Heero's direction. But she was not quick enough to dodge his Twin Beam Buster Rifle magic. So she took it on full force, sliding a few feet back as the spell pushed against her. 

" All right, Heero!" Duo said happily.

Sylvia clutched her heart, panting. She was not really injured, but the sudden sneak attack by Heero had scared her a little. She could feel the potential and talent in Heero Yuy. He could be as ruthless as her, maybe even more. He was indeed a rare talent, especially in the battlefield. 

" Scared now, Sylvia?" Duo taunted her. 

Sylvia straightened her back and smiled at him. " Far from it, my dear Duo. Hilde died a very tragic death, didn't she?" 

Duo stiffened. He could feel his blood boiling. " I vow that I will kill you today to appease her soul," he growled in a low voice. 

Trowa stepped forward. " And my sister's soul too. "

Sylvia laughed. " Naïve boys. Duo, you think you can kill me so easily? Even if you study magic for a hundred more years, you are still not my match. How foolish can you be?"

Duo's blood boiled. He rushed forward at her, his Twin Beam Scythe glowing hotly. 

" Duo, no!" Trowa shouted after him but it was too late. 

" I'll kill you!!!" Duo declared and slashed at Sylvia, only to find her changing into Trowa. He could only watch in horror as his deadly weapon cut at his friend. And where Trowa had previously being standing, now stood Sylvia. Heero and the rest quick reflexes were still not capable of beating her. They exchanged blows of magic but Sylvia beat all of them, sending them sprawling in different directions. 

Duo knelt down to help Trowa. " Trowa, are you all right? I'm so sorry. That evil girl tricked me." He glared at Sylvia. She tilted her head to a side innocently. 

" Duo…" Trowa spoke slowly, painfully. The front of his black turtleneck shirt displayed a deep, diagonal cut across his chest. "She's tricky…be careful." 

Duo faced her, his cobalt-blue eyes focusing only on her. His face was unusually serious and cold. Behind Sylvia, Lady Une, Treize and Heero had all stood up shakily to help Duo. 

" You won't be able to give your best," Sylvia told them. " Because you don't know whose place I will appear next. Maybe it will be you, Duo, slashing Heero to death the next time round."

" She's playing on your fear, Duo. Don't listen to her," Treize said aloud. 

Duo bit his lip. He could not afford to make another mistake. 

Treize looked around at the five Gundam Guardians. He was getting more and more worried. _Duo, Heero, Quatre, Wufei and Trowa are all afraid of her, he thought to himself. _She's demoralizing them. If this goes on, none of them could display their best. __

Lady Une glanced at Treize. _He's worried for the boys. He's worried we might not beat this demoness. She held out her hand. _

" Storm of Elements – Lightning Ice!" A trail of icy-blue coloured magic went for Sylvia.

Sylvia leapt into the air, avoiding the spell. She flew down and started attacking Lady Une. Both pitted against the other on their martial arts skills. Lady Une was amazed that she could fight so well. 

The Lightning Ice missed Sylvia but went for Duo instead. The God of Death hastily blocked it with his Twin Beam Scythe. He was sweating a lot. _How can I beat her?…Hilde, please give me strength. _

Heero and Treize joined in the fight against Sylvia. Sylvia grinned knowingly at Treize. " Thinking of helping the boys to regain their confidence?" 

Treize gave her a surprise look.

" I know you too well, my loyal one."

With a yell, she punched Treize and he flew backwards. Heero grabbed her wrist but Sylvia wiggled out of his grasp and hit him on the chest with her palm. He slid halfway across the floor, falling near Quatre.

" Heero…" Quatre breathed heavily as he made his way to him.

Une tried to strike Sylvia down. She jabbed at her with her elbow but Sylvia ducked her head aside and with a swift twist of her body, she seized Une's arms, twisted it behind her back and began absorbing her strength and energy. 

Une fell to her knees, weak. She felt dizzy. Every part of her body went limp. " You freak…" she said weakly.

" Shut up!" Sylvia shouted and turned to Treize. " Your lady is dying, Treize. What are you going to do?"

Noin dashed forward. " Let her go!" 

" Don't you interrupt!" Sylvia sent a rapid fireball towards Noin, abruptly cutting off her rescue attempt. 

Noin tried to get up but couldn't. " Bitch…" she hissed.

" One for one," Sylvia said to him. " If you would willingly give up your legs for your loved one, I would let her go."

" Don't listen to her!" Zechs said to his old friend. " She won't let Une go such easily."

" You better hurry," Sylvia reminded him by gripping Une's arms tighter. 

Une was turning blue. 

" I know I'm no match for you, and everyone of us here is injured," Treize said steadily.

" Wise choice," she answered.

Treize looked at Zechs expressionlessly. The latter gasped. He had seen this look before. He knew that his old chum would do it. Mentally, Treize passed him a message. 

_I will be diverting her. She will not let Une go. Once I have done it, you save my Lady. _

_Treize!_

But it was no use. Treize knew he was no match for her. He raised his hand.

" Are you mad?!" Wufei yelled at him.

He stared at one of his leg. 

" Don't do it!" Quatre begged with him. 

He generated one of his best spells on his palm.

Lady Une gazed at him with watery eyes. She knew no one could stop him. Sylvia was smiling.

" Treize…"

His hand came down hard and fast on his left leg. 

Outside the mould of earth, they heard his screams. 

Relena turned to look at Sally with terrified eyes. " What happened?"

Sally looked at her, equally mystified. " I don't know…I think it was Treize."

Treize collapsed on the floor, propping himself up with his good leg. He was crippled for life.

" One more leg, Treize," Sylvia reminded him gently. She was observing him.

And Zechs charged at Sylvia with his whip. 

" Epyon!!! Give me all your power!!!" he screamed in fury as he flung his whip at the shield that Sylvia had made.

The shield was strong to withstand any weapons and most magic spells. Sylvia shook her head at Zechs' stupidity.

Rays of bullet-like magic shot out to help Zechs. It was Trowa with his Gatling Gun. Wufei's Flamethrower joined his.

Duo appeared beside Zechs out of nowhere with his Twin Beam Scythe.

" I can't let you take all the credit, can I?" he said with a grin.

The shield was cracking. Sylvia could not believe it. 

Zechs looked at the two boys. " I appreciate your help, but I would need you to help destroy her. After I break the shield, you help Une out of here, clear?"

" Aye, Lightning Count!" Duo replied.

" Epyon!!!" Zechs cut further into the shield, shattering it completely with his Gundam magic. His Heat Rod slapped onto Sylvia's hands, forcing her to release Lady Une. Duo moved in quickly and carried Lady Une away on his shoulder. He placed her beside the crippled Treize. 

" Une, answer me. Are you all right? Une!" Treize cried frantically. Duo had never seen him like this before.

Une's eyelids fluttered. " I'm sorry…"

" I said I would protect you no matter what." He hugged her with whatever little strength that was left in him.

Zechs' Heat Rod circled Sylvia's neck. The Beam sword appeared in his hand and he pushed it into Sylvia's abdomen. There was a brief moment of silence.

Noin prayed hard. 

Zechs was panting. He stared at Sylvia's shocked face. She was staring back at him, eyeball to eyeball. Sweat lined both their foreheads. Then, in slow motion, Zechs watched in horror as Sylvia's hands closed on his Beam Sword and pulled it out, despite him holding strongly onto it. She snatched the sword from his hand. It dropped onto the floor with a clear, ting sound and vanished.

" It's too early for me to die yet," she said, her eyes narrowing.

His Heat Rod vaporized, turning back into a tablet. Sylvia shoved him aside, as if he was nothing but a pesky little fly. Noin ran forward to help him up. 

Heero looked at Sylvia, his legs shaking as he tried to stand up. Quatre helped him. 

_Must kill her…I must kill her…_

The wound on Sylvia's abdomen started to heal by itself. Internally, she had already sustained some injuries from the powerful beam sword but she was not going to let it show. 

Kill her…kill her… 

" Sally, it's taking them way too long," Relena said to her only companion outside the mould. The air around them was getting colder and denser.

" We must believe in them, Relena. They can do it," Sally said.

" But there must be something we can do…something…I wish I could see what's happening inside."

An idea struck Sally. " I know how we can do it. Why didn't I think of this earlier?" She wiped off some blood from her wound with her fingers and drew a rough circle on the floor. She put a hand inside the circle and began chanting.

" Water, a reflection of life. Mirror, a reflection of soul. Pray you, let us see our mistakes, and let us see ourselves. From this, shall we learn."

Sally put her hand away. Immediately, the circle of blood that she made began to produce more blood. It filled up the circle and images started forming in this puddle of blood. It was not very clear, because everything was in red but the two can just made out who was who.

Relena gasped. " That's Treize! He's hurt!"

Sally looked in awe. " That's Sylvia Noventa."

" Have enough fun?" Sylvia asked them. " You still think you can kill me?"

" I'll kill you!!!" Wufei shouted, rushing at her with his Twin Beam Trident.

" How many times must I repeat myself?" Sylvia shouted back at him, pointing a finger at him. A ray of spell shot out. Wufei ducked the first one but the second one got him. He was sent flying back again.

Heero's breath hastened. _Must kill her…But he did not feel confident enough to make a move._

Quatre was looking at Heero. He could feel his heart aching again, threatening to break into infinitesimal pieces like broken glasses. He had never seen Heero like this, and neither has he seen any of his friends so determined yet helpless before. Sylvia had frozen all of them. The only thing wrong, the only very thing that had gone wrong was that Sylvia had chosen to be on the wrong side. 

" Sylvia!" Quatre called to her, his face twisted in anguish. " I believe you are not a bad person by nature. Why carry the burden of your mother? All that had happened was in the past, it's over. Your mother had not being able to get over it and she had you dragged into it. But now she's dead. Why are you so obsessed in conquering the whole world? What good will it bring you? Can it bring you love, friends and warmth? You will be living in fear for all your life, fighting to stay above everyone because someone might just kill you one day! No one should be a prisoner to herself. Sylvia, can't you see?"

Everyone stared at Quatre. Heero mouthed his name but no sound came out. They understand what he was saying, and what he had said was right. It touched them deeply. 

Sylvia began to shake again, her whole body vibrating uncontrollably. " Enough, Quatre Raberba Winner," she hissed. " You cannot sway me with words alone…"

" Tell me which part I have said is wrong!" Quatre demanded. "You are not an evil person, Sylvia. You are still a girl. You have not grown up at all. You are actually very fragile."

" Shut up!" she screamed aloud and shot her magic spell at him with her palm. What he had said is right, she can feel it from that forbidden part in her. _How dare you…How dare you tear my heart apart and look within it…_

" Quatre!" Heero ran to his side. " Shield!" Together, the two boys held back the magic. It used up quite a big part of their strengths for her fury and grief was growing by the second. Quatre had touched on her raw spot and she did not like it at all.

" Kill her." Someone said this.

Heero turned to Treize. He was strangely at peace with himself. It was as if he was watching a movie instead of being in the middle of the battle. " She is beyond cure. When her mother died, she made sure she passed all her hatred to her too. How do you fight with a dead person, other than to be dead yourself first? Even if she lives, she would live in regret and remorse all her life. I agree with you, she is a good person by nature. But the more goodness there is in you, the more you would wish to die when you have done something as terrible as she had done. I am sure you understand that, Quatre."

" Treize…" Much as Quatre would want to save her, he knew that Treize was right. Even if she repents, which does not seem very possible, there would be people out there who would hate her, now that they all know who the Master of OZ really is. 

Trowa and Duo were clenching their fists really hard. It was hard to forgive what she had done. Even if they forgive her, seeing her would just remind them of their grief again and again.

" Are you finished?" Sylvia asked them, her eyes ablaze with her own madness. " I presume those were your last words. You should be proud that you could make me display my best spells to you. Say hi to hell for me." She floated up into the air and began muttering something, her hands forming several hand signs repeatedly. A purple ball formed around her and a strong wind picked up.

Zechs and Treize widened their eyes at the same time. " She can't be thinking of using it," Zechs whispered.

" Using what?" Noin asked. 

" I have only heard Master mentioned it once," Treize answered on Zechs' behalf. " One of the most powerful spell of all time, the Devil's Death. In fact, it is considered to be a spell on par with the Gundam magic. Remember WindSong's disciples, Black and Serena? The reason why Black could win against Serena, who are both on par with each other, was through this unorthodox spell. It almost killed Serena."

 " Once she releases the spell, there is no way one can escape. It's like how an atomic bomb in the planet Earth works _____­­­­­­­­­­_ it covers everything," Zechs added.

" So you mean our Gundam magic may not be a match against this Devil's Death magic?" Duo said.

Neither Treize nor Zechs said a word. 

Duo shook his head. " I don't believe this!" He charged at Sylvia in the air with his weapon.

" Duo, no!" Zechs shouted after him.

Sylvia did not even lift a finger. The aura of her spell protected her and it automatically shot a ray of beam at Duo's Twin Beam Scythe, forcing him back on the ground again. 

The beam hit his Twin Beam Scythe, and then against the mould, causing half of it to crumble down. It exposed the boys, Treize and the others to Sally and Relena. Both sides looked at the other in shock. 

" Terrifying…" Sally mumbled to herself.

" Heero…" Relena looked at him.

He looked at her for a moment, before turning away. _I have a person whom I must protect at all costs. _" We must destroy her! Even if we have only 1% chance, we must still try! We won't give up so easily!" he called out to the rest. 

" Right," Wufei agreed. " Let's give all we have."

Trowa nodded. " Gatling Cannon!" He went first but again, Sylvia's aura protected her from harm and blocked all his bullets.

Quatre generated heat into his Cross Crushers. " Heat Shooter!"

" Twin Beam Trident!" Wufei cried.

Duo picked up his Twin Beam Scythe and charged at her again.

" Twin Beam Buster Rifle!" Heero went last in their simultaneous attacks.

All failed.

Every one of them was getting more and more anxious by the second. They collapsed on the ground, panting, watching Sylvia growing more and more powerful. 

In Heero's mind, the same words resounded: _Must kill her…Must kill her…_

Relena looked from Heero to Sylvia. She placed a hand on her heart. " This won't do…" she mumbled to herself.

" Relena?" Sally looked at her.

" The boys must come together to beat her. Do you know the words behind their tablets?"

" There are words behind the tablets?"

" Yes. Wing Zero's white tablet: _The Heart of the Universe_. Deathscythe's black tablet: _Death, the Angel of Darkness_. Heavyarms' red tablet: _A Debt of Blood. Sandrock's yellow tablet: __The Love of Elements. Shenlong's green tablet: __God is as you see it. White – light, black – darkness, red – power, yellow – elements, green – hope…They are all inter-related. Quatre says all the Gundam Guardians must work together…" (Refer to chapter six for explanation on the tablets). _

Relena spoke rapidly, ignoring Sally's bemused expression. Her heart burned with new revelation. The boys had forgotten about this. She must remind them. Quatre was right all along. 

" Heero!" she screamed. " Unity! You must all work together! Remember the words on your tablet! Remember what it means! Quatre said you must all work together because all the tablets are inter-related and so be one! All five of you be one!"

Sylvia glared at her. " Whatever you say now is no use." She fired a spell at Relena but she and Sally dodged it. 

The five boys looked at one another. They gazed down at their tablets. It was as if a tornado had hit them and they couldn't breathe. 

_I almost forgot about it. Thanks Relena, Quatre thought to himself with smile._

" Heero, Trowa, Wufei, Duo, remember what we had said at the balcony on that fateful night about these tablets?" he told them.

" How could I forget it?" Duo said with a grin. " Someone must have told all those to dear Relena. And bless him for that." He looked at Heero knowingly. 

" Unity. We must all work together. You guys sure know how to torture this loner," Wufei said with a delightful glint in his eyes.

" Face it, Wufei. We are all in this together," Trowa said. He felt at peace. Even if today will be his last day, he is satisfied.

 Heero turned his head to Relena. Her hands were clasped together at her chest. She was praying for them, giving them hope. She gave him a firm nod. 

" Relena…" he whispered ever so softly. " You are wonderful." He turned back to his friends. 

" Are we ready?"

" Ready!" they chorused.

" The Gundam tablets represent us. I have found it, have you?" he asked his partners.

" I don't think I know what you mean but I seem to understand the feeling," Duo said. " These tablets are not just tablets. It is us. It's like our soul, whatever we believe in. We ourselves see how we use it."

" This must be the most intelligent thing you have said today," Wufei declared. 

Quatre chuckled. " Let's go." 

They formed a horizontal line in front of the smiling Sylvia. Her spell is almost complete. A little bit more to go.

Heero held out his tablet in front of him. The rest followed. It began glowing.

Heero closed his eyes briefly. _Please, Wing Zero. Please help all of us._

Each tablet began to vibrate. The boys opened their hands, letting the tablets fly high above them. It clicked against one another and started spinning, slow at fast.  

As if they were puppets with someone pulling their strings, the boys held hands. Heero was standing in the middle. To his right were Trowa and Quatre. To his left stood Duo and Wufei. 

" Angel of Death," Duo said. He is the angel of death. He had always believed he is one. (Refer to chapter eight for their histories) 

The tablets picked up speed and turned black in colour. 

" Fools," Sylvia said from her position above them. Her aura naturally shot out a beam of blue light at the tablets. To her surprise, it was absorbed by the dark aura of Duo's. She furrowed her brows in concentration. _I will win, I will win, _she thought to herself. She shut her eyes.

" Rain of Blood," Trowa said steadily. He can never forget the blood shed. The first time he saw war, he hated it. He can forgive but he cannot forget the shower of blood. And here he is, fighting to make this war end, to stop more innocent blood from spilling.

The spinning tablets went even faster and turned blood red in colour. Treize and the others looked at it in wonder.

" Sun of Desert," Quatre said in a gentle tone. He used to live in the desert, and he never forgot the light from the sun. It was there where he had one of the most wonderful times in his life. It was also there where his heart was deeply wounded for the first time. From then on, a whole new life began.

The speed of the five tablets picked up again and became golden yellow in colour. On Sylvia's side, the purple ball became darker. It no longer surrounds her. Instead, she now had it in her palms. It was like she had compressed all the massive energy that encircled her onto her palms. It was like the whole world is in her reach. The wind blew stronger.

Wufei blinked once. " Dragon of Justice," he said. He had always asked himself this question: What is justice? And to find the answer, he became justice. He will protect everyone that matters. 

The tablets spun even more swiftly. It is now bright green in colour. 

Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at him, this one person only. _If only you know, if only you know of my feelings…_She closed her eyes again.

Quatre looked at his friends. _Finally, we are all together. We can all be at peace._

Heero stared straight ahead. There was neither anger nor hatred in his eyes, only sheer determination. Actually, he did not hate Sylvia. He only hated the circumstances that made her like this and her fate. And maybe…he hated himself too. 

Sylvia opened her eyes, as sudden as the fall of snow on a sunny July. She thrust her arms out, yelling with all her might. 

" Devil's Death!!!" The magic shot out at them at an alarmingly rate. The whole place shook violently, threatening to fall apart any moment, burying them alive.

" Feathers of Light!" Heero shouted out. He wants to free them all from this crazy era. 

The tablets changed. In front of them it is no longer five magical tablets but a white, winged angel. She has no arms, only a pair of pure feathered wings that shone. She flew head-on against the evil magic, trying to envelop it with her wings. The two were equal. She looked vaguely familiar to the five boys. 

It was hard to predict which side would win. Both sides gritted their teeth in pain, squeezing their sweaty hands hard. Neither was willing to back down, and neither looks as if they would lose. 

Zechs clutched his Epyon tablet, his handsome face stained with blood. Noin turned to look at him, worried.

" Zechs," she said in a tiny voice. 

He looked at her briefly, then he studied his dark red Gundam tablet. He flipped it over to look at the words behind it. There was only one word on it: _Future_. The future depends on them. With a deep breath, he hurled his tablet towards the winged angel. 

" Create a new future for us, Gundams!!!" he hollered.

Epyon hit the white angel. There was a burst of light. Her wings grew longer and bigger. It covered the Devil's Death magic and enveloped Sylvia totally. Inside the angel, magical spells from the boys hit her repeatedly. She screamed in agony, unable to escape. She could feel herself shattering into nothingness but she could do nothing about it. 

And the Devil's Death exploded within the white angel's ball of wings.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the incandescent glow of light. Debris rained down. 

Then, there was no more. Everything was quiet.

Heero was the first to remove his hand from his eyes. Sylvia was lying on the floor motionless. 

Duo placed a hand on Heero's shoulder. " We did it," he said, somewhat in incredulity. By now, everyone had already opened their eyes.

There was a sound of running feet and Heero felt Relena brushing past him, running towards Sylvia Noventa. She gently picked up Sylvia and lay her in the crook of her arm.

" Sylvia," she whispered. 

Slowly, cautiously, the five boys, Zechs, Noin, Sally and Treize, with the help of Lady Une, approached the Master of OZ. Or perhaps, it would be more appropriate to call her the Lady of OZ. Lying in Relena's arms, she looked just like an ordinary girl-next-door. Every speck of her evil aura was gone.

"Sylvia…" Relena spoke again. Her eyelids fluttered. She moved slightly, struggling to open her eyes to see who was calling her name.

" Relena…" Sylvia replied weakly. She looked around her. " Why?" 

" You are not a bad person by nature," Treize answered. " We would have been great friends. Let bygones be bygones."

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

" …I have done so much…all wrong. Maybe…maybe my biggest mistake was to…fall in love."

Everyone was taken aback. No one had expected that. Through her watery world, she looked at the five boys. She sees him, then she moves her eyes to another. She sees him again, but she did not stop to study him more. She has no right to love him. She felt too ashamed. 

" Who did you love?" Relena asked.

" I love…" She smiled and closed her eyes for the final time. A tear drop from her once sparkling eyes. Let the secret die with her. 

She vaporized into thin air.

************************************************************

Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Relena, Sally, Treize, Lady Une, Zechs and Noin stepped out into the sunshine. Outside, the huge crowd cheered for their victory. Treize, with the help of Lady Une, rounded up the ex-OZ soldiers and gave them a talk on how they had been wrong in the past and how they should lead their lives from now on. 

" Master Quatre!" Rasid shouted out in happiness and hoisted him up into the air. The Maganac people surrounded their young master, jumping and crying in joy. Quatre laughed, enjoying every second of it.

" Zechs, I have something to ask you," Noin said in a quiet tone.

" What is it?" He looked at her with a little smile.

" Previously, when you were fighting with Len, why did you kiss her?"

Zechs became flustered, his face turning red. " Noin, I…"

Duo butted in chirpily, " Not only that, he lifted her, I mean his skirt too!"

" It was Treize's idea!" he raised his voice at Duo. Then, he turned to Noin. " Believe me, he made me do it. He didn't dare do it because Lady Une was looking. He said that would let that transvestite weaken." He pointed in Treize's direction. 

Instinctively, Treize looked up at Zechs' direction. He grinned. " I think we should move aside, Lady Une."

" What for?" she asked.  Treize continued to grin. 

" Hai, hai…With Zechs' pretty face, any girl, not to mention any transvestite, can go weak in the knees just by looking at him." Duo winked at Noin. She blushed, and so did Zechs. Duo laughed evilly.   

" Don't you think it's time you two get married and settle down with a few kids?" he teased.

" Did I say I want to marry him?" Noin shouted in embarrassment. 

" Watch your words, Maxwell!" Zechs shouted at him too.

Sally stepped beside Wufei. " So who did you think that Sylvia Noventa loved?"

" I don't know. I could have sworn it was Quatre," he said, folding his arms.

" Really?" Trowa said, overhearing their conversation. " I thought it was you."

Sally gave them a puzzled look. " I thought it was you, Trowa. I don't know, but the three of you were standing pretty close together."

From his high position, Quatre looked down. He could guess what they were talking about, though he couldn't hear them. And he saw who Sylvia was looking at. He smiled sadly at Wufei. Maybe, maybe he would tell him that someday.

Heero gazed at the scene. Everyone was celebrating. When they get back to Magic Town, EverlastVille, there would be more celebrating. In fact, there would be celebrations everywhere. He looked at Relena, who was happily chatting with the five professors and Dorothy. 

" A penny for your thoughts," Zechs said from behind. 

" I thought you were arguing with Duo and explaining your misdeed to Noin."

" He's off to disturb Treize and Une."

True enough, not far away from them, Treize and Une were both blushing. Noin looked as if she could strangle Duo any moment now.

" You Gundam Guardians are incredible," Zechs said. " You saved us all."

" You saved us too. You helped us create a future," Heero said.

" What are you going to do now?"

" I don't know. Maybe go back to school."

" You sure you don't want to settle down with my sister?"

Now it was Heero's turn to falter. " I don't know what you are talking about."

" Don't run away, Heero Yuy. We could get you two engaged first. As Relena's older brother, I give you full consent."

" Why don't we get you and Noin engaged first?" Heero countered back. 

The two paused and began laughing.

" Let's go home, everyone!" Mr J yelled. To this, everyone cheered.

" Let's go home, Heero," Relena said with a smile.

He looked at the horizon. The sun was setting but the moon had already risen. 

" Home," he whispered.

They marched forward and sealed the door of this other dimension and never looked back. 


	33. Epilogue

*Epilogue*

Life went back to normal. There are much to rebuild from all around the realms but they will survive. Zechs and Noin went back to Magic Kingdom with Treize and Lady Une. There, Zechs managed the kingdom on behalf of his sister. Treize and Lady Une got engaged to the cheers of all their friends. They would be moving to live in the countryside where they would lead a simple, blissful life. But Zechs and Noin…

" When is your turn?" Duo asked again with a cheeky grin.

" Will you stop bothering me?" Zechs hissed at him and once again, he turned red. Noin did not wish to reply, but she stole a glance at him.

Lady Une came over to them, pushing Treize on a wheelchair. " Don't be wishy-washy, Millardo Peacecraft. Why are you soldiers always so shy about marriage and love when you fight so valiantly in the battlefield?"

Treize shrugged. " I suppose it's our trait. Right, my friend?"

Zechs froze for a moment. Then, he walked away. 

" But whatever it is, I will stay by him always," Noin said. 

" I know you will, Noin," Relena said.

At Magic Town, the new school term had started. Sally took the place of Lady Une as their new principal once again. Again, Heero has trouble waking Duo up from his bed.

" Hurry, we'll be late," Heero urged him.

" Wait for me! Don't run so fast, old chap!" Duo cried in despair. 

Nearing the school gate, Heero braked suddenly, causing Duo to bump into him. 

" What the…" Duo said, getting ready to berate his friend when he joined Heero in hanging his mouth open.

" My god, what is going on down here?" Duo muttered.

Just a few feet away, an army of students was crammed at the school gate, surrounding something or someone. Using Heero's thin but wonderfully strong shoulders as a prop, Duo hoisted himself up into air. 

" Oi!" Heero squirmed, forcing Duo down on his feet again.

" Can't you be more of a gentleman, buddy? It's Trowa, Wufei and Quatre trapped in the middle of those students!" Duo reported.

Just then, a female student heard Duo's voice and she twirled around to face one of her heroes. " It's Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy!" she squealed in delight. " Now they are all here!" 

Before the two could even comprehend the situation, they were swept by the hurricane mob, into the centre of the eye, united together with the other three. 

" You are our heroes!" a boy shouted from somewhere.

" Show it to us please!" another girl screamed in a high-pitched voice.

" What's going on here?" Heero asked Quatre.

" This morning when the three of us came to school, it was already like this. Everyone was waiting for us at the gate and they wanted to see us and the tablets," Quatre answered and nearly suffocated as another bouquet of flowers was thrown to him by Wufei, adding to the mountain of bouquets they had already received from their 'fans'. 

" Heero!!!" someone shouted.

" I can't see Quatre!" another yelled.

" Show us the tablets!"

" So you mean you haven't step into the school at all?" Duo asked.

" Nope," Quatre answered, sounding somewhat muffled. Duo helped him with the flowers.

" I prefer chocolates," Trowa said, trying to joke.

" No problem! We'll make it for you!" a trio of girls screamed.

Trowa cringed a little behind Wufei.

" I feel like we are standing in the heart of the universe," Heero mumbled to himself.

" What did you say?" Quatre asked.

Some distance away stood Sally and the professors. " Aren't we going to help them?" Sally asked.

" Are you kidding?" Professor G said, combing his mushroom-shaped hair. " I'm enjoying this." The other four professors laughed.

" Please listen to me!" Heero shouted so suddenly that everyone immediately shut his or her mouths. " We have already hidden the tablets in a safe place and unless it is needed, it shall not see daylight again. We don't want it to fall into the wrong hands. Sorry to disappoint you." 

Then he pushed through the crowd, making a straight rush for the school building just as the bell rang. In actual fact, neither the boys nor Zechs knew what had happened to their tablets after that battle.

" What are you waiting for? Hurry!" Heero said to his partners. They followed him.

And as he run, he saw someone familiar out of the corner of his eye. It was Relena. Dorothy was behind her.

" Relena, what are you doing here?"

She smiled. " Our schools have merged and I'll be in the same class with you. It is now officially known as the Gundam Boys and Girls School of Magic."

" Since when?!" he asked, bewildered. 

" Since now!" she replied cheerfully, holding his arm.

" Are we ready, people?" Wufei asked, grinning at his mates.

" Ready!" they cried as they pushed Heero and Relena straight into the arms of each other.

In the distance, a lady in white watched this. In her hands, she held the six tablets. She is not a ghost, but neither is she a goddess. She nodded her head, satisfied that it was over at last. But this was not the end of the Gundam boys. She mouthed something that cannot be heard and then turned and disappeared with the wind. However it is easy to guess what she had just said: 

Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" That was a lovely story," six year old Heero Khushrenada said to his father. His twin brother, Duo Khushrenada agreed. Though they are twins, they looked very different from each other, from their hair colour right down to their personalities. 

" Daddy is the number one storyteller!" he declared.

Treize Khushrenada laughed and patted their heads. " Of course, of course!" he answered, smiling complacently.

Une entered the twins' bedroom, pulling the ear of her husband playfully. " What far-fetched story have you been telling the twins my dear?" 

" Ouch, ouch… Nothing much. It's only a new story that I'm writing," he said, pulling away from his wife. He rubbed his ear.

" Another one of those magical adventure, yes? You should know better than to put confusing ideas into their young minds. Now come down with me to entertain the guests. It's past your bed time, boys."

" No!!!" Duo shouted. Heero simply pouted.

Une tossed her brown hair aside and adjusted her glasses. " Don't argue with me. I let your dad tell you his new story idea for an hour and it's now way past your bedtime," she said sternly. " Do I have to…"

" No need!" both boys replied promptly and pulled the blankets up to their chins, pretending to be asleep. 

" Good night," Une said, kissing their cheeks and switched off the lights. She and Treize went down the stairs.

" Here comes the great author!" Millardo Peacecraft announced as they descended. 

" Long time no see, cousin! Merry Christmas!" Treize greeted him and both men gave the other a loud thud on the back. " Are you still calling yourself Zechs Merquise, after that great hero?"

" Ha, what do you think?"

" You finally got him down," Noin, Millardo's wife, said to Une. 

" Once he starts on a story, it's hard to wrest him away," Une said and both ladies laugh. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw her daughter, four-year-old Relena sneaking up the stairs.

" Where are you going, Relena?" Noin asked.

" I want to see Heero and Duo," she said, looking as if she is going to cry any moment now. She buried her face into her brown teddy bear.

" Let her," Une answered. "I don't think those two are willing to sleep yet. What to do? It's Christmas."

" Thanks, Auntie Une!" Relena said and dashed up the stairs joyfully.

" No!!!" twelve-year-old child prodigy, Chang Wufei cried as his brother moved that critical piece of chess on the board. He was an orphan but was recently adopted by Sally Po, a divorced mother of one. 

Twelve-year-old Trowa Po grinned in triumph. " Checkmate again, brother. You are a prodigy in music but I am a prodigy in chess."

" Trowa!" Sally rebuked him. " Don't be proud."

" Well, Wufei laughed at me just now."

" Be nice, boys. Or I won't give you any Christmas presents next year."

" Hey Trowa, let's go guess our presents," Wufei said.

" Okay!"

The doorbell rang and Une answered the door. " Dorothy, Catherine! You two ladies are terribly late."

" Sorry sister," Catherine said. " Traffic jam."

" And look who we brought back with us," Dorothy said. They moved aside to reveal Quatre Raberba Winner and his wife, Hilde Schbeiker. 

" Hi, Une," Hilde greeted her. " Merry Christmas."

" Hilde! Haven't seen you for a year since we moved away! Come on in. So how's your new neighbours?" Une asked.

" Okay, but I still wish it was you and your family living beside us," Hilde said.

" Treize!" Quatre said. " Everybody!"

" Quatre R.Winner! Merry Christmas and so good to see you!" Treize said. "Staying over tonight, too? 

" How about some nice wine, Winner?" Millardo asked, holding a bottle of red wine in his hands.

" Why not? We have lots of chatting to do. And yes, we'll be staying for two days."

"It's snowing!" Relena, Heero and Duo shouted down from the second storey. 

" And it's near midnight!" Wufei and Trowa said in unison. 

" Ten… nine… eight…" Treize began counting.

" Seven… six… five… four…" the rest joined in.

"Three… two… one…! Merry Christmas!" The merry group cheered loudly, welcoming this convivial season.

And just as the grandfather clock struck twelve, the explosion of a bomb dropped in a faraway country, marking the start of another new era.

The End

_That's all folks! Hope you like the story and I welcome any feedback, from death threats all the way to cheek-blushing compliments. That's how I can write better. I actually wanted to write this Gundam Wing fanfic in the tone and style of its TV series but somehow, my own style kicked in. *Shrugs*.  I am not a regular fanfic writer and I know I am not a great writer. So if you have anything to say about me, please feel free to say it._

_Bless you all, and amitabha. _

                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                     The Three Realms


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